Chasing the Dream
by Mister Grin
Summary: It all began when I ate that Titan. It was an accident, I swear. There was this annoying message out of nowhere saying I Ascended, and it all went downhill from there. All it's really useful for anyway is having these really annoying voices in your head and occasionally smiting the odd mortal, neither of which is all that useful. It doesn't help that my cat seems obsessed with me.
1. Prologue: The Book

**Prologue: The Book**

* * *

I blinked, watching dispassionately as the blast of Hellfire ripped through my chest. I was fairly used to this kind of reaction by now, to be honest. But then again, most people would try and kill you if you just confessed to eating their boss.

…I understand your confusion. Really, I do. But to be honest, I don't really understand much of what's going on, either. Just a few years ago, I was living a comfortable life with both of my parents in a city of crime. Hell, a year ago, I was actually _alive_.

I blame the Book, and whatever sick bastard wrote it. I should've known better than to pick up an unknown object that the Lucifer himself threw out. But really, if it weren't for that Book, I would have died beneath this city, alone and terrified.

 ** _'Shut up, you drama queen. You know she's adorable. Don't diss the loli Grimoire.'_**

 _'Shut up yourself, you dick. I'm trying to tell a story, here. And besides, you don't even know that the Book is a loli, you just think she is.'_

 ** _'Of course she's a loli! That's how all the anime work! And besides, I'm not the one telling himself stories.'_**

 _'It's called a dramatic monologue. It's a literary device.'_

 ** _'You aren't talking to anyone, though. You're just chatting with yourself while you try to figure something out.'_**

...Ahem.

I suppose I should start at the beginning. Be warned, it gets a bit graphic. But again, living in a city of crime all of your life kind of desensitizes you to that kind of thing.

'— ** _And besides, you're technically still alive, if you think abou- ow! Fuck! What the hell, man!'_**

 _'Shut up, Instinct, I'm telling a story. You're ruining my dramatic entrance sequence.'  
_

 ** _'...Well fuck you too, then.'_**

* * *

I blinked, eyes opening to see rusted manacles dangling from the ceiling.

It wasn't the manacles themselves that rattled me, but rather the emaciated corpse dangling from it. It looked like my father, but that was impossible. My father was alive and well the last time I saw him. It must be a look-alike. Same with the severed head and ghoulishly contorted body that resembled my mother. They were just there to scare me, like they did in those crime shows.

I stumbled to my feet, walking past the look-a-likes. I saw a room full of torture implements, from those wooden manacle things you see in movies to a wall of various spiked implements. I smiled to myself, appreciating the show despite its' ridiculousness. When I tried walking towards the door, however, I was stopped by sets of manacles on my hands and feet. I glanced down, laughing softly. They were beautifully crafted, those manacles, down to the rust spots and rough patches. Wonderful. Built to scare me, just like the rest of the room. I'll bet those 'bodies' and 'skeletons' hanging from the ceiling all over the room are all fake, too.

 _IT'SNOTREALIT'SNOTREALIT'SNOTREAL_

I noticed a variety of scars and lesions over my body, smirking to myself. None of them hurt, so they were all obviously makeup jobs. I took a step back, wrapping one hand around my wrist and simply pulling the chain off. My wrist is too small for this thing, anyway, and only an idiot would put an eight-year-old in chains meant for an adult. After removing the rest of my chains, I walked past the room of fake corpses that smelled like rotting flesh and opened the door.

 _NOTREALNOTREALNOTREAL_

 _'I mean, honestly.'_ I giggled to myself hysterically, tugging open the thick steel door. _'It's like they're not even trying.'_

I passed by a sleeping 'guard', walking down the hall and taking a left. There was the door to the outside, also conveniently unlocked. Rolling my eyes, I left the shady building behind and stepped out into the streets.

I made it only a few steps before a meaty hand grabbed me by the neck and dragged me down the alley and into another odd scene. A blonde woman was being held down by several large men, and she wasn't wearing any clothes. I tried to look away, since my mother told me that I should never look at a naked woman. These men must just be really mean.

The large man in a suit called out in a coarse voice. "All right, boys. Fun's over."

A chorus of groans rang out. One of the men, a barrel-shaped man with a squished face, glanced down at the blonde woman. "What should we do with her, Boss?"

'Boss' sighed. "What de' ye' think, ye' moron?"

The barrel-shaped man blinked stupidly. "Ooooh."

He picked up a brick, covered in the same muck as the rest of the grungy alleyway. He wound back, and smashed it into the back of the woman's head. The men cheered, laughing and making odd gestures with their hands. The darkness of the alleyway did little to hide their wide smiles.

'Boss' turned to me, his golden teeth flashing in the grey light filtering in from the outside street. He walked over, kneeling before me. His breath stank of something terrible as he opened his mouth and spoke. "Sorry, kid. It's nothin' personal. It's jus'… yo' parents decided ta take somethin' 'at wasn't 'eirs, so I had ta punish 'em. I do have an empire ta run, ya' know, an' if n' I don't keep order, then innocent people gunna end the up dead."

I just stared uncomprehendingly. He sighed, his terrible breath wafting over my face once more. "You're what, six? Eight? O' course yo' can't understand tha importance o' what I did." He stood, towering over me. "But you is in luck, kid. I do try ta have a code o' honor, n' one o' my rules be ta neva hurt kids. Let alone humans such as you. So I'll let ya go today, and maybe yo' can join us if ya eva need some cash, eh?"

He reached into the pocket of his suit, pulling out a clean, white business card. He gestured for the man gripping my arms to release me, and handed it to me. I couldn't read it in the dim light, so I just stared at it. The large man chuckled, adjusting his hat. "We're called da White Collars, kid. We're da boss around dese here parts. I'm the leader of our little ragtag group. My name be Randall Sullivan, but me boys call me Randy Smalls. An' a piece o' advice, free o' charge." He leaned down and whispered in my ear. "There are no good guys in this world. Disease, filth, and poverty are fuckin' everywhere. Selfishness is a virtue, an' 'ose who look out for 'emselves are da ones makin' the big calls. So have some common sense, lad. Eitha' keep yer head down, or shoot fo' da top."

He doffed his hat, before turning and walking out of the dark alleyway, into the dim street light. His men followed him, leaving me alone in the dark alley.

I stood shakily, my numb hands dropping the card onto the ground. I stumbled out of the alley, the tang of blood heavy in my nostrils. I shivered as the cool autumn breeze cut through my thin jacket and chilled me to the bone. My mind refused to work properly, so I just kept stumbling forward.

I could deny it no longer. This was too real for any dream, and that man was serious when he said he had killed my parents.

My parents are dead.

And they're never coming back.

I leaned against the endless wall of buildings, using it to support my weight. The people on the sidewalk didn't bother stopping to help, they knew better than to poke their noses into Naskapi City's nightlife. Not to mention that with my grimy clothes, lurching gait, and obvious shivering, I looked like a grubby orphan desperate enough to pick someone's pocket.

I kept moving, kept shivering, kept pinching myself awake. I had… to keep… walking. I had… to… keep…

I finally ducked into a small alleyway that no adult could fit into, wedging myself deep into the cramped space. My breathing slowed, and my eyes fluttered shut.

When I next opened my eyes, I could hear the sounds of the city waking up. Naskapi is primarily a mining settlement, so most of the city is underground. From above, it seems like little more than an industrial failure. But the rest of the Underworld knew better. Naskapi has one purpose, and one purpose only—mining magical ores. For this reason, the town was started not twenty miles away from the residence of the Maou Lucifer.

I remembered what the man had told me last night, shivering slightly. 'Use your common sense', he had told me. I smiled bleakly. _'Well, in the end, that's all I have left.'_

I shoved aside my memories of my parents' deaths, locking them and all other memories of my parents safely away. Naskapi was not a place for weakness.

 _'Common sense…'_

I wanted to go home, but my common sense told me that it had probably already sacked by the landlord. If there was one thing that my parents had warned me about, it was that the residents of Naskapi were _not_ nice people. Common sense told me that the instant word spread that my parents were dead, the landlord would sell everything worth a dime. Father even warned me that— _'No, lock it away.'_ I told myself, fighting back tears. _'I can deal with it later. Emotions are nice and all, but I need clarity. Step one, find work. I need to feed myself somehow, and there are plenty of places around here willing to overlook my age.'_

I struggled for a moment, trying to unwedge myself from the thin crevice. I finally wiggled loose, stumbling into the midst of a crowd of pedestrians. I was rudely jostled, bumped around and cursed at as I tried to weave my way through the crowd. I finally managed to duck into a larger alley, taking refuge from the mass of people.

I glanced down the alley, surprised to see it being lit by a line of electric lights. A-ways down, a wooden door was set into the wall. A sign above it proclaimed it the entrance to _The Iron Strike_. Judging from the name, it was likely either a weapons shop or a smithy. Possibly both. I pushed open the door, hearing a small bell ring as I entered.

I found myself in a small, cozy room lit by a glowing fire. A large man swung his hammer down on a lump of red-hot metal. _Ptang_. A loud sound rang out as the hammer made contact. The man lifted the hammer, swinging once more. _Ptang_. Once more the hammer was lifted, once more the hammer was swung. It was a rhythm, one that I dared not disturb. I stood and watched, the door swinging shut behind me. I could feel a bead of sweat rolling down my forehead from the heat of the room. Finally, the man lifted the metal and plunged it into a nearby vat of water. A loud hiss marked the cooling of what I now recognized as a pickaxe.

The man set his work down on a drying rack, before taking off his gloves and setting them on a workbench. He turned to me, a smile on his face. "How may I help you?" He rumbled, his voice surprisingly soft for how deep it was. It was like velvet on the ears, just like Father's—no, keep it contained. You're here for a reason.

I took a deep breath. "E-excuse me, cousin, but, um, would you happen to be looking for an apprentice?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

I fidgeted slightly with my torn sleeve. "W-well, um, I'm kind of an orphan now…" _'Calmcalmcalmcalmcalm.'_ "…And I'd rather find some honest work than become a pickpocket or something."

The large man chuckled. "Well, I'm certainly not complaining. This town needs more honest folk."

I deadpanned at him. "Cousin, this town is a dump."

He shrugged. "I wouldn't say 'dump', but it certainly leaves much to be desired."

I blinked. "You're one of those really annoying optimists, aren't you?"

He burst out laughing. It was deep and full-bellied, making me take a step back in surprise. "Spoken like a true realist. All right, I'll admit, this town is a den of thieves led by a racist baboon with the brains of a concussed sheep. But at least it's _honest_ about it. If you ever visit Lilith, you'll quickly learn why it's called 'the Gilded Crown of Hell'. Here, you at least know who's going to be stabbing you in the back. There, your best friend might well be measuring you for a body bag."

I frowned. "I'll… take your word for it."

His laughter died down, and he looked me over. "You say you need some honest work? I might be able to help you there. You're a mite bit too young to be working in a smithy, but if you ask again in a couple years I might find something for you to do. But for now, I can only point you in the right direction."

He lifted up a sheaf of papers. "See these? They're papers from the desk of the Lucifer himself." He took two off the top, holding them side-by-side. One was a complete document, but the other had the bottom half burnt off. "These are the closest thing we have to news around these parts. The Lucifer knows what a cesspit this place is, so he makes a point to deliver all of his trash and recycling to our town's facility rather than just destroying it all. It's his way of both proving that he has nothing to hide, and letting us know what's going on with the rest of the Underworld. 'Course, he's smart enough to burn his signature off all of the papers he signs, but he still leaves the papers so that we know which ones were signed and which ones weren't."

I nodded slowly. "So… you want me to sort through them?"

He chuckled. "You catch on quick. But yes, it's considered below the gangs of this city to sort through it themselves, yet they still want the information. And if you learn the legal jargon, you can make a killing selling whatever you pick up to the info brokers."

I smiled, feeling a wave of relief. "Great! When do I start?"

He checked his watch. "Now, if you hurry. The doors of the recycling plant open in about twenty minutes."

I pictured the location in my mind, humming in thought. "All right. But, um…" My stomach growled loudly. "Can I get an advance on my first paycheck or something? I'm starving."

* * *

A half an hour later, I was at the doors of the recycling plant with my stomach comfortably full. My parents had made sure that I knew this city like the back of my hand—a necessity in case I ever got lost or kidnapped. The smith, who had introduced himself as Von as he watched me hungrily devour a piece of toast, was only a mile away from the plant. I could easily find my way back if I had to.

I took a deep breath, before pushing open one of the large doors. It slid open with a rusty creak, and I stepped through. I was immediately buffed with a wave of sights, sounds, and smells. All around me, machinery worked to break down the products fed into them. I could even smell the sharp tang of chemicals. A loud racket came from the machines. There was a small crowd of people around a large metal bin just to the side of the machines, presumably where the 'paper products' were sorted to.

I approached, wincing as the noise assaulted my ears with increasing intensity as I drew closer to the machines. I pushed my way into the crowd, trying to see if this was the place Von had described to me. Sure enough, the bin was completely full of paper. I glanced around, trying to see what the others were doing. They all seemed to have a greyish knapsack, and they were taking turns perching on the edge of the metal bins to hunt through the papers. The ones they found interesting, they put in their knapsacks.

"Cannae help ye'?" A cheerful voice asked from beside me.

I jumped slightly, turning to see a boy about my age with a grey knapsack on his back. He had childlike features, ragged clothing, and a rather small nose. I nodded slowly. "Yeah, um, I'm new here, so…"

He smiled widely. "Arright, 'en. I'll get ye' all fixed up. Me name's Carn, an' I've been workin' the papers since I was a wee lad."

I tried to return his smile, but it turned out to be more of a pained grimace. The boy seemed to have a rolling accent, very different from the coarse dialect of Naskapi. That meant the kid was probably either lying to me about how long he had been working, or he was a foreigner. "Thanks…er…Carn. Much obliged."

He nodded brightly. "Anytime. Now, first we need to get ye a bag…" He paused. "Er... wait... are ye a boy or a girl?"

I frowned, glancing down at my electric blue hair. It fell to my shoulders, smooth and soft. "I'm a boy. Why?"

He coughed. "Er... It's jus'... yer hair..."

I tilted my head. "My mom always likes... liked my hair like this. She thought it was pretty."

I heard Carn grumble something about her being right as he walked away.

For the rest of the day, Carn cheerfully taught me the life of what he called a 'Revere', or someone who delivered the news of the Underworld. He showed me the basics of 'fancy-talk', and even gave me a few papers of my own. During our off time, in which we waited our turn to sit on the edge of the bin, he told me about himself. Apparently, he was an orphan like me, the son of a Low-Class Devil and a human who had run away together. He had been at this job for two years, and he planned to work in the mines as soon as he could lift a pick. I was confused as to why anyone would work in the Mines, seeing as the conditions were absolutely terrible. He just replied with, 'But that's where the money's at, mate!'

At dusk, I finally returned to Von's smithy. I had a respectable stack of papers in my knapsack, and I proudly handed them to Von in exchange for dinner and a spot on his couch. He just chuckled. "Sure, as long as you don't mind the racket. I sleep during the daytime, and work at night."

I blinked. "Wait, really? But this morning—"

"This morning, I was working to finish an order. After you left, I spent the next eight hours asleep in my bed." He interrupted, turning back to his forge. "If you want to get some sleep tonight, you might want to turn in now."

I nodded, finishing my meal and heading over to said couch. I didn't completely trust Von, but it was either this or the street. I laid down on the couch, closed my eyes, and tried to block out the sound of metal striking metal.

The next few weeks followed this same pattern, and soon enough weeks blended into months. I became quite experienced with picking out which papers would be considered 'valuable information' and which ones were trash. And through it all, Carn, my cheerful Irish friend, kept me company. As the months turned to a year, Von began to teach me the basics of metalcraft. I took to it like a fish to water, and learned everything he had to teach me. I couldn't go for hour-long forging extravaganzas, but I could forge a dagger good enough to sell for several gold.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of my parents' death. I've been keeping my grief over their deaths contained for so long that it's degraded to a forlorn apathy. I've always known that this city is a den of sin, and I was lucky to have my parents for as long as I had. I had learned that 'Randy Smalls' had been telling the truth when he told me that he took his job of keeping the peace seriously. Even if he allowed his men to do terrible things, he made sure every one of them followed the law to the letter. Devil law just didn't happen to cover humans. Don't get me wrong, I still plan to kill the snake bastard, but I do understand why he did what he did.

I sighed, slipping off of the couch and stretching. I couldn't hear the sound of Von at work, so I made sure not to make any loud noises that would disturb his sleep. I snuck into the tiny kitchen, grabbed a piece of bread, spread a glob of butter on it, and headed out the door to start the day.

I was wearing a set of rumpled brown clothes, as well as a cloth mask over the lower half of my face. A pair of tinted lenses were slipped over my eyes, allowing me to see clearly. The Ash had been coming more often, lately, and while some of the city's residents were resilient enough to stand the toxic residue, humans most definitely could not.

I made it to the recycling plant without incident, meeting Carn at the door. He greeted me with a cheerful wave and a steady stream of mostly meaningless chatter. I didn't bother trying to make sense of it, if he really wanted me to know something, he would make sure I was paying attention first. We approached the large bin where the latest papers were being delivered, and climbed over the edge to begin searching through them.

The Ash had taken the lives of most people desperate enough to search the papers, and left only a handful of us to sort through the bins. We had begun shifts—while one group sifted through the Maou's recycling, the other would be selling the previous day's work. The ones who sorted had first pick of the spoils, and we found occasional hidden treasure. My Clearsight lenses were one of said treasures. We theorized that the Maou must have a mad scientist at his mansion, making neigh-invincible magical technology, before promptly deciding that it wasn't what he wanted and tossing it aside.

Using such magitech was a gamble, at best. The scientist was at the cutting edge of research, but there was a very good reason each design was scrapped. My lenses, while allowing perfect sight in any weather, gradually worsened my sight without them. If I wore them all the time, I would eventually become incapable of seeing without them. And that was one of the _better_ finds. Hell, some of them had side-effects so severe that some of the gangs started weaponizing them. There was a pen-like device that microwaved food—and brains, if you stabbed someone with it. There was a strange gem that allowed you to walk through walls, but sometimes left parts behind. There was compass that diminishes one's sense of direction. A leather belt that grants the ability to repel crocodilians. The list goes on, but you get the idea.

Carn paused in his search, glancing up at me. "Oi, mate, do ya' think 'is is a good one?"

I looked up, squinting. _'A Treatise on Greater Value'_ , it read. I sighed. "Nope. Trash."

He sighed disappointedly, tossing it into the reject bin. "Damn. I was hopin' i' was somethin' good."

We returned to our silent work, occasionally placing a sheaf of papers in our bag for later scrutiny. It was nearly noon when I noticed it out of the corner of my eye as I turned to a new stack of papers. I immediately whirled to look, trying to find whatever it was that had caught my attention. Nothing.

I blinked, rubbing my eyes. _'I guess I should let my eyes recover for a while before using the lenses again.'_ I thought ruefully, turning back to my work. _'They've been playing tricks on me, lately.'_ I glanced up at one of Carn's cheerful comments, an acidic response on my lips— _there!_ It wasn't my imagination!

I turned, once more seeing nothing. But this time, I was determined to find whatever it was that escaped my attention. Invisibility objects were invaluable here in Naskapi, especially given their incredible rarity. I slipped on my lenses and looked again, but still found nothing. I frowned, trying to figure out what the trick was. Every invisible object thus far had some flaw that had rendered it unacceptable to the scientist, and I was sure this one was no different. I slowly turned back to Carn, focusing my attention on the spot I thought it was. Then, I gradually shifted my gaze towards Carn. The instant I focused on him, it flashed into existence, _in the corner of my eye._

I smirked, gradually sidling up to it. I got closer and closer, until I could recognize it as a half-buried book. I shifted papers around, still not looking at it, until the cover was legible. It seemed to be a child's journal, and the title read _'A Dream of Life Eternal'._ In that instant, I could feel something shift into place within my mind. I stayed as I was, still not daring to look at it lest it disappear forever. I reached for it, moving my hand quickly so that whatever charm covered it couldn't misdirect me like it had several times before.

Of course, predictably, my hand hit something sharp instead.

I jerked my hand back, hissing, as I felt something puncture my palm and cut clean through several muscles. I turned to see my blood covering the book, and the offending knife hidden in the papers behind it.

 _'Jesus, who the hell throws a knife in the recycling!'_ I yelled mentally, hissing. I tore a piece of material off of my plain tunic, binding my wound tightly. Then it occurred to me—I could see the book, now. I turned to see the spilled blood that had fallen on the book begin to disappear. My eyes widened. _'Is it…absorbing the blood? How?'_

I reached cautiously for what I now assumed to be a Grimoire, making sure to unbury and stash the knife first. I picked it up, watching as the last of the blood disappeared from its' surface. Then, red lines dyed the cover in the form of a complex magical circle. The title's indented letters began to fill with blood until it was embossed with raised red text. The title now read, _'A Dream Unfulfilled'_. Trembling with excitement, I opened the cover. Inside, I saw a cream-colored page of fine paper. Far too fine to be a child's journal, as it initially appeared. As I watched, spidery, blood-red text began to write itself across the pages. It read,

* * *

 _Greetings, current owner of this Book of Magick. I am… well, you may call me_ _幽霊_ _. I am merely a Spirit of Madness, writing this tale in the language of Balance. If anyone save those of your blood are to look upon this, they will only be able to read it in its' original language._

 _This is not a Grimoire, as it is far too powerful to be allowed sentience. Instead, it is a Book of Instruction. As the title may indicate, it is incomplete. I would invite he who takes this Book as his own to complete it, should he dare to allow the Book sentience. It is a manual, an instruction booklet, a perfect teaching method for one to learn the ways of the Dream of Eternity._

 _I have braved the Void itself to learn forbidden knowledge, and my very soul was Distorted by it. I burned everything I knew, everything I had, everything I would be in order to find what I sought. And in the end, the Balance took me. Even now, I cannot comprehend the language of mortals without translation. Yet, in exchange, I learned secrets untold by mortal minds, and gained the Common Sense of Demons._

 _Fear me. Hate me. I care not. I merely provide the knowledge._

 _This Book is beyond the Necronomicon for its' potential for the Darke, yet beyond the Books of Heaven for its' potential for the Lighte. Know what you hold, O mortal, before you peer within its' pages. For with this, you become nothing more than a Dreamer in this Illusion of Reality._

 _Complete this Book, if you dare. I have written the theories and knowledge that I retained throughout my journey of discovery. Incomplete theories that they are, you shall not always know which ones I managed to complete. In fact, I encourage you to take my research in another direction entirely._

 _But be warned. I will not hold your hand. I will explain nothing in its' entirety, for fear of awakening the Book into a Grimoire._

 _I wish you luck._

 _-The Author of Dreams_

* * *

I blinked, closing the book and tucking it safely away inside my bag. That was a mystery for another time. I returned to my work, pushing the odd book to the back of my mind for another time. "Oh, there ye' are, mate. I thought ye'd left, or somethin'!" Carn called, jolting me from my thoughts.

I snorted. "Nope. I'm just as broke as you are, brother. If not for the gangs' unspoken protection of us Reveres, we'd probably have been raped by now."

He looked puzzled. "Wait… how would 'at work? We're boys, ain't we?"

I chuckled darkly. "We still have holes, brother. And that's enough for some."

He turned pale. "I-I see."

We turned back to our work, continuing on in silence for the rest of the day. Finally, just as we were about to leave, we heard the sirens that warned of an incoming storm. Fortunately, several of the older Reveres were a step ahead of us, and managed to shut and bar the heavy doors. A moment later, the windows darkened and an unearthly howl began to sound outside the secure building.

I sighed, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a small flashlight. _'Might as well start reading that Book.'_ I decided, finding a spot to sit and digging the small book out of my bag.

I flipped past the first page, and began to read.

* * *

 ** _Section 3._**

 _I am unsure of how much I recall of the O#%$r &-!l#, so I will record what I can remember here._

An illustration of a complex magic circle below a gleaming sword took up the rest of the page.

 _Entry one: Fate._

 _In the Typemoon universe exists a magical configuration called the Holy Grail. It allows one a single absolute wish, should they win a battle royale of deceased spirits. While there have been many conflicts over supposed Holy Grails in the past, this term refers to those specifically based around Masters, usually proficient magi, summoning Servants, Heroic Spirits brought forth as familiars, and meeting in battle until only one pair is left to claim the Holy Grail._

 _The original Grail was, in reality, corrupted by an evil spirit to be somewhat of a monkey's paw in terms of wish-granting. If one wished for world peace, for instance, it would kill everyone on the planet._

 _While fictional, this Grail still holds some truth in this world. Hypothetically, one could recreate the effects of said Grail if you had the sheer magical energy required to summon spirits without the grail._

* * *

Beyond that, it devolved into unintelligible theories and random sketches.

I blinked, confused. _'Why did it start with Section 3?'_ I turned the page, and I abruptly realized the problem. The next page said 'Section 2' at the top in small text, and seemed to be halfway through a theory on a completely different topic.

I closed the book, and turned to the first page once more. This time, it was labeled 'Section 1' at the top, and was explaining something about quarks.

I smiled to myself. _'It's self-shuffling. Clever. Now, how would such a book be used?'_ I concentrated on finding the page I had found first, opening the book to a random spot. Sure enough, there it was. My smile stretched into a wide grin. _'All right, Author. I'll take your challenge._ 'A Dream Unfulfilled' _, eh? That's an interesting title. I wonder what made him unable to fulfil it. Hell, what is a Book like this even doing inside the dump? Wouldn't the Maou make this thing the most protected object in the Underworld? Unless…'_ I glanced down at the cover once more. _'This thing is powerful enough to fool even a Maou-Class Devil.'_

I paused, considering the implications of that statement. _'Holy shit. This thing has a protective enchantment on it strong enough to slip past the Crimson Lucifer. If I complete it, what kind of power will it be able to give me?'_

I opened the Book once more, and began to scan each page, not reading any of them, simply memorizing the way each one looked. Closing it once more, I tried picking once at random. To my shock, I could remember each and every detail with crystal clarity. With shaking hands, I flipped to a random page. Sure enough, it was the one I had just scanned.

 _'Memory spell.'_ I realized, closing the Book. _'Designed to allow you to never forget any part of the Book. Only once you've read the entire Book can you navigate through it freely. Probably meant to discourage trying out a spell before reading the entire thing.'_ I chuckled, rising to my feet as the Ash began to clear, allowing weak sunlight to shine through the Ash-streaked windows once more. _'Interesting.'_

Carn blinked in surprise, his eyes focusing on me. "Oi, mate, ye' keep disappearin' on me. I know ye're pretty quiet n' all, but this is a wee bit extreme, don't 'cha think?"

I blinked. "Wait, you mean you couldn't see me?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Not a single hair." He frowned. "An' ye' have _blue hair_! How does 'at work?!"

I chuckled to myself, ignoring Carn and heading for the door.

 _'Interesting, indeed.'_

* * *

...What, you thought I'd tell you the entire story in just one chapter? Hell, no. This is only the prologue. It'll be a while before you get to the whole 'heart burnt out with Hellfire' bit.

No, cousin. You don't even know if I survived yet. Just you wait, cousin. Just… you… wait.

 ** _'Aaand... cue dramatic exit.'_**

 _'Goddammit, Instinct.'  
_


	2. The Kitten is Scarier than the Shark

**Chapter 1: The Kitten is Scarier than the Shark**

* * *

Oh, you're back. Hello!

Well, I'm sure you're wondering how I'm still able to tell this little tale. My heart did just get obliterated, after all, and it was indeed quite painful. And if it's in the same instant that I died that I'm telling this tale, then how am I prolonging it so endlessly?

The answers, as with all things, lie within the Book.

 ** _'My God, that sounded cheesy…'_**

 _'Shut up. We've already had this conversation. I always talk to myself whenever I'm thinking hard about something. It helps me focus.'_

* * *

Over the next few months, I became increasingly obsessed with the Book. It took me an entire month to put the pages in order, and even then, I could barely understand beyond Section 2. So I started reading. A page or two a day, spent merely digesting the contents of the marvelous Book.

The Author was a mad genius, I learned. He would rage and rant, while simultaneously calculating the formula of an incomprehensible spell. But never in words, no. It was beyond the words. Written between every letter, bastioned between the lines of text, present on every page. It was there. Formulas, calculations, mad laughter formulated and distilled into words. The Book was naught but a Dream, I learned, for all the wonder and terror that entailed.

The shifting pages were only the beginning, the warning sign that this Book was more than it seemed. It was the writing on the wall, the symbol of something so _beautiful_ and _horrible_ it belied comprehension. I was dreaming of eternity in a room with no doors, no floors to keep you from falling further into panic. Each one small fear suddenly titanic in its implications. Situations so far beyond grotesque, I would've amputated my own _imagination_ just to make them _stop_.

But they were beautiful, those words. The simplicity with which they explained their madness, the way they wove together to create a tapestry so utterly _exquisite_ , so _angelic_ , that I wondered if the Author fell from heaven. It danced along my mind like a pen upon paper, writing thoughts, equations, _imaginings_ so pure that they whispered with the softness of rain upon the open earth.

It was no wonder that I became obsessed with decoding its' contents. My life held more meaning with the Book in my hands than it ever had without it. It taught me better than any tutor, whispering Mysteries into my mind with the soft caress of a lover.

And then I finished the first chapter, and the true madness began. What was once a whisper of kind guidance became a roar. The theories were no longer hidden, and the words that once sheltered the delicate treasures became an endless terrain of wild scribblings built to contain the profound imagination of the Author. The theories he made… they defied reality itself.

I closed my eyes, sighing as I finished the latest page. In truth, the first chapter taught the basics of the Dream, and was more of an introduction than anything. It gave one the keys one must know to decode the rest of the Book. The Author wove a system of his own design, one that spoke of physics and magic in the same sentence. While every other System either followed nature or belied it, this one freely allowed itself to grow beside nature. It respected Nature as an equal, and asked it to lend its' power rather than taking it or ignoring it. Yet, at the same time, it spoke of psion flows and magecraft, implying that the System it created had self-appointed rules.

I smiled, finally closing the Book and stroking it gently. It shivered under my touch, shimmering and glowing. "Hello, beautiful." I whispered to it, feeding a steady stream of mana into it. "Would you mind sizing down for me? It wouldn't do for some uncultured swine to see you and wish to take you from me."

It glowed softly, and magic circles shimmering to life on every surface. A moment later, it was a simple necklace with a book the size of a matchbox in the center. I picked it up by the chain and fastened it around my neck, tucking the Book beneath my shirt. "Thanks, girl." I murmured, rising to my feet.

I managed to find my mana within a day of finding the Book, but I never cast any of the spells. And even if I wanted to, the Book seemed adamant that I not do so until I had finished the Theory Section, or Section 1. While not originally sentient, it had gradually acclimated to my mana, weakly fluttering its' pages every now and then. I nurtured it, guiding it, feeding it energy when it needed it. And in return, it, _she_ , became more and more intelligent. I no longer needed to search for the page I wanted, the Book opened herself to the exact spot I needed before I even asked.

She was my little Book, now, and she would never belong to anyone else.

I began my morning ritual, being extra careful to tidy up my appearance. It was selling day, after all, and I needed to look my best. I noticed Von at his workbench, yawning and stretching. He glanced over at me, noting the glimmer of the chain around my neck. He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Kid, you're going to kill yourself with that thing, one of these days."

I nodded seriously, brushing my fingers against it. "Don't worry, brother. She'll stop me from doing anything dangerous."

He snorted. "Yes. _She_. That's my problem, kid. One of these days that little 'Book' of yours will end up becoming a full-fledged Grimoire, and God only knows what'll happen then."

I tilted my head. "Why are you so worried? She's my Book." The Book shivered slightly against my skin, and the chain flickered golden.

He just shook his head, picking up his hammer and heading to his forge. "'She' is a book, not a human. You don't know what she is, what she wants, what she'd do if she managed to take on physical form. I trust a Devil more than that Book, because I at least know what the Devil will do to me if I let my guard down. I don't trust anything that doesn't show me where it keeps its' brain, and you ought not to, either."

I sighed, heading towards the kitchen for a quick breakfast. "You need to learn to trust more, brother. I understand where you're coming from, but if you never trust anyone, then you're going to end up dying alone one day. I trusted you, didn't I? And look at us now."

Von snorted. "Yeah, you say 'trust' now, but in a couple years, when you finish that thing like you've been planning to? Grimoires are dangerous, kid, and if the Mad Scientist and the Crimson Satan themselves didn't want anything to do with this Book, then you probably don't either."

I just gave him a sideways glance, but said nothing. I understood his point, but I'm not just going to ignore this thing. I haven't had a purpose in my life since my parents died. I could angst about their deaths for the next ten years, or I could do something with my life. And this little Book? It needed me, just as much as I needed it. I would complete the theories, finish the incomplete spells, and possibly even write my own entries into its' pages.

I picked up a cereal bar and a carton of milk, tucking them in my bag. I gave Von a respectful nod on my way by, put on my protective covering, and left the building.

Over the past few months, the Ash had grown increasingly dangerous. While before, it could be predicted with some measure of success, now it was entirely random. The storms would just start, some lasting less than a minute, others lasting hours. Of course, normally I would be a bit more wary before putting on the lenses nowadays, due to my declining vision, but I had accidentally found the creator's notes on an object of similar design in Section 4. It taught me how to activate and deactivate the lenses using a slight spike of mana. Very useful for sudden storms.

…Actually, come to think of it, I never did finish reading that particular entry. I should ask the Book to help me find it later.

Filing that thought away, I began the long trek to the information market. The information market is exactly as the name implies, a market for information. It's where we Reveres go to sell the papers we find, and where we meet with the shadier people in Naskapi. It's across town from Von's shop, so it takes a while to walk there. About forty-five minutes, to be precise. We visit a different person every day, and today's client was a big one.

Forty-seven minutes later, I pushed open the door to a shady-looking store and slipped inside. Carn was just inside the door, waiting patiently while having a one-sided conversation with the door guards. I entered, nodding to the guards, and sat beside Carn to wait. The man we were to meet was known as 'Shark' in the crime circles. This was because he always made a point to circle you several times, driving you up the wall with terror before he finally struck. Fortunately, that meant we had quite a bit of time left before Shark finally called us into his office. Plenty of time to re-read what I needed to know.

I tapped Carn on the arm. He turned, pausing his 'conversation' to look at me. "What'cha need, mate?"

I sighed. "Carn, pop quiz. Do you know anything about this guy? If not, then you're just going in blind."

He blinked. "Er… if'n I remember correctly, 'e uses Mind Magic."

I blinked at him. "Do you know what that even _is_?"

"Nope!" He replied cheerfully. "But that's what I got you for, mate!"

I grit my teeth, but pulled out my Book. The guards seemed to suddenly lose sight of me, but they weren't too worried about it. Like I was no longer their problem. _Perfect_.

"All right, girl." I whispered. "Mind taking me to the Arcana?"

The Arcana is a Section of the Book dedicated to magic. It didn't just explain different magics, but also gave insight on how to combat them, exploit them, and even learn them yourself.

Perfect for planning ahead.

 ** _Section 2: Arcana._**

 _Entry one: Introduction. (Level 1: Human)_

 _Beginning apprentices and other newcomers to the magical world tend to have two big questions about Magic. The first is the why – what it is, where it comes from, and why some people can use it when others can't. The second is the how – what works and what doesn't, and what you can expect when dealing with a Mage._

 _The traditional answer is that magic is connection. A Mage is a person who has an attunement to one particular aspect of the world around them: they perceive that aspect more clearly and directly than other people and over time they can learn to control it. The aspect can be something elemental like air or heat, something connected to living beings like life or thought, or an abstract concept such as chance or time._

 _The type of magic a Mage is connected to is based on their inner nature – their personality, character, and soul. You could say that someone's magic is an expression of their inner self, but it's just as true to say that someone's magic is their inner self. Mages generally can't survive without their magic, and in the rare cases where it's separated from them, they don't live long. The Mage's nature determines the kind of magic they can use, not vice versa – there's no way to use Fire Magic without having the personality of a Fire Mage. This doesn't mean that Mages of a certain type are all the same, but the type of magic that someone can use always reflects a profound truth about the kind of person they are._

I smiled. "Well, then, exactly what I needed. Thanks, girl." I flipped the page, and continued reading.

 _Even the most multitalented Mage can never learn to use more than the tiniest fraction of all the spells out there. While it is possible to learn a different type of magic, this requires that you use an entirely different personality while using it. While with Fire you were a scorching inferno of Wrath, now you are a cold burn of Ice. It's important to note that there are no magic types that are inherently evil. Some are inherently dangerous and make it very easy to do unpleasant things to people, but there are good and bad Mages of every type._

I sighed. "I don't need this right now. Mind taking me to the second entry?"

Several dozen pages flipped, and I began the next chapter.

 _Arcana #2: The Three Families._

 _Mages divide the types of magic into three broad families: Elemental, Living, and Universal._

 _Elemental Magic is the magic of the physical world. The most well-known types of Elemental Magic are Air, Fire, Earth, and Water, but Lightning and Ice Mages are also common, as are types of magic which most people wouldn't consider elements but which seem to fit better in the Elemental category than any other, such as force. Elemental Mages are the most common kind of Mage by a long way, probably more common than both of the other families put together._

 _Out of all the families, Elemental Mages are the best at directly affecting physical reality – they're the artisans, engineers, and soldiers of the magical world, and it's rare for them to come up against a physical problem they can't solve. That said, their way of solving that problem is unlikely to be subtle. Elemental Magic is usually very obvious and attracts a lot of attention. Keep getting straight flushes in a poker game and you'll get some funny looks, but most people won't think you're using magic, they'll think you're cheating. Go flying down the street and you'll get a very different reaction._

 _Elemental Magic tends to be well-suited to combat. All Elemental Mages have at least some natural ability to hurt people and break things, even if it's not what they specialize in. More importantly they can use shields, which give them a good natural defense against most other attacks. As a result, most Battlemages are Elemental Mages._

So Carn would be an Elemental Mage. Good to know.

 _Living Magic is the magic of living creatures and covers life and death, thought and emotion, and shapeshifting. While most mages can affect living creatures one way or another, Living Magic can alter them directly._

 _'…Fuck. I'm already hating the idea of fighting Shark.'_ I flipped the page.

 _Living Magic is completely unable to affect inanimate objects in any way, which means mages of the living family are much more limited than Elemental Mages in what they can do. An Air Mage is always surrounded by his chosen element—no matter where he goes, there's air. (If there's not, he probably has bigger problems to worry about.)_

Since when was the author a wise-ass? I don't recall anything like this in the introduction. That was mostly warnings. Lots and lots of warnings.

 _A Mind Mage, on the other hand, can only affect creatures that have minds. If he's on his own, he's kind of stuck. Living Mages also can't directly protect themselves from physical harm in the way that Elemental Mages can._

All right, maybe it's a bit warranted. It certainly gets the point across faster.

 _That said, Living Mages have a few things going for them. When it comes down to it most important things in the modern world tend to involve dealing with other people one way or another, and that's what Living Mages specialize in. Living Magic also tends to be harder to detect than Elemental Magic, and Living Mages can blend in with ordinary people more easily than Mages from the other families (although part of that is probably because Living Mages tend to be more social). Finally, while Living Magic can only affect Living creatures, it's very good at affecting Living creatures and within their field Living Mages outshine everyone else by a long way._

So living magic is subtle, yet powerful within its' field. If elementals are flashy and obvious, living mages are more subdued. Shark is probably going to try and either talk around us, or quietly adjust something in our minds. Damn. I checked the bottom of the second page, which listed weaknesses and strategies.

 _Mind Mages can only affect minds they can understand. Either think in a language they don't know, or use some combination of Thought Acceleration and Memory Partition._

I opened my mouth to ask the Book to take me to those spells… but hesitated. The Book has been _extremely_ clear that you should finish an Entry before trying anything on it. I flipped the page, and began to read once more.

 _Universal Magic is the rarest, the strangest, and the most poorly-understood of the three families. It covers abstract concepts like Divination, Time, Space, and Chance._

I blinked, my attention well and truly caught. _'…Author? Thank you for your insistence that I finish every word. I will never doubt you again.'_

 _More than any other family, Universal Mages of different types don't have much in common with each other. A Fire Mage and a water Mage and an Ice Mage might use different elements, but in a lot of ways they're very similar – they can all shield, they can all Gate, and they can all hit things with their magic until it breaks. On the other hand, a Time Mage, a Space Mage, and a Diviner have wildly different abilities. Some types of universal magic such as space can actually affect the physical world even better than elemental magic can (at least in specific areas) whereas other types like divination can't affect the physical world at all._

Divination. Seeing the fucking _future_. I WANT THAT. NOW.

I flipped the page, finding only the next Entry, which explained types of magic. _'Dammit, I want—'_

The pages began flipping, responding to my desires. Finally, it landed on a later Entry.

 _Arcana #7: Divination Magic (Part One)_

 _The first type of magic this Section will look at is Divination, a type of Universal Magic. A Mage who can use divination magic is called a Diviner, a Seer, a Probability Mage, or a fortune teller. Divination is one of the most limited of all magics. It does one thing and one thing only: it allows its user to see the probability of future events. It can't change those probabilities, it can't change those events, and it can't affect the material world in any way. All it can do is provide information._

 _A regular person introduced to a new situation doesn't know what's going to happen. When you're faced with a machine you don't know how to use, you don't know what pressing any of the buttons does. Over time, you start to learn how the thing works. Eventually, you might even learn why it works. And once you know the how and the why, you can figure out what's going to happen whenever you mess with the thing._

 _A Diviner gets to shortcut that. When he looks at a situation, he sees possible outcomes: he knows the what without understanding the how or the why. Every Diviner develops his own sensory code for this, but most do it visually, 'seeing' the potential futures unfold. In general, a Diviner's visions are limited to his own senses. He can only see the outcomes that he would be able to perceive were he to actually live through them._

YESSssss… I WANT THAT.

 _For a novice Diviner still unfamiliar with his powers, divination is strange and terrifying. His visions come in random unpredictable flashes, sometimes showing him nothing at all and sometimes overwhelming him with an insane rush of information as he experiences dozens of futures at once. All apprentice Diviners have at least a few episodes where they quite simply go batshit crazy. Over time they learn to master and control their visions, ordering them to their will, and as a result nearly all experienced Diviners develop a high level of mental discipline. The ones who can't manage that give up their power or go insane._

Well, I'm already kind of insane, so no issues there.

 _Once they've learned the basics of control, novice Diviners start learning to direct their visions, exploring the consequences of simple actions: what happens if I press this button? How about if I turn this card? What if I jump off this bridge? Over time they learn to explore more complicated futures, comparing multiple courses of action against each other and picking a single future out of many._

 _Divination magic can predict anything that can be predicted. The two things it_ can't _predict are chance and free will._

 _Chance is the simpler of the two – some things are just random, although at a human scale truly random events are actually much rarer than most people think. More common is a sort of emergent unpredictability, where the cumulative effect of millions of tiny events adds up to something that isn't completely random but is chaotic enough that long-term prediction is impossible. Diviners can't predict pure chance but they can analyze it in terms of probability, interpreting it in an ordered framework._

 _Free will is more complex. Philosophers argue over whether free will exists but Diviners know it does, even if they don't understand exactly what it is. If someone genuinely hasn't made a choice, Diviners can't see beyond it. The most they can do is see the most likely choices, and the consequences._

 _Aside from those two limitations divination magic can predict just about anything, subject to the skill of the Diviner. Part 2 of this Entry will explore what that means._

Dammit, I want to learn more, but… I still need to find out what those two spells from before were. Thought something and Memory something.

"Hey, girl, mind helping me out, here?" I asked softly, and the Book seemed to… hesitate before complying. She must have been judging whether or not I was capable of learning the spells. But sure enough, the pages flipped of their own accord.

 _Thought Acceleration (_ _高速思考_ _, Kōsoku Shikō) is the main magecraft of Atlas alchemists. Fast thought is only a prerequisite to it, and it is truly the ability to multi−expansion diagrams. Thought Acceleration is the proof of an alchemist, while Memory Partition is a proof of their facilities._

 _Memory Partition (_ _分割思考_ _, Bunkatsu Shikō) is an ability used by the superior alchemists of Atlas. Paired with Thought Acceleration, the very proof that one is an Atlas alchemist, it is the ability to partition their thoughts to form multiple independent thought processes. While normal people can only have a single "room" in their brain and focus on one thought, partitioning adds partitions to the one room to create multiple rooms. The prerequisite for the superior alchemists of Atlas is at least three rooms, while five is on the level of a genius. The record for partitions made was eight._

 _It is different than having multiple independent machines in their heads because, while there are multiple processes, they work toward one goal. They manage different problem sets, but work together to generate one overall solution. While machines can calculate on the same level, nothing else compares when used for problem solving. The limit of an average alchemist is one thought into multiple rooms, but superior alchemists can perform first-order tetration of their thought into rooms. The rooms are synergistic, so four partitions allows for 256 thought processes._

 _It can be used to calculate the opponents' movements in battle, think out multiple separate ideas at once, and calculate data one gathers._

I felt a wide grin stretch across my face. _'Fuck. Yes_. _'_ I glanced down at the abstract instructions, and set about decoding them. By the time the door to Shark's office opened, I had gotten the bare basics down. And even if seven times my normal thought speed was puny in comparison to the thousand times thought speed of the Author, It's still more than enough to make the world move in slow motion. As for Memory Partition… two rooms. That's all I have. And hopefully, it'll be enough.

I rose alongside Carn, marveling at how even my body seemed to move in slow motion. Then a large man in a crisp business suit stepped out the door, and I felt the tiniest brush against my mind. I probably wouldn't have even felt it if I hadn't accelerated my mind. The man opened his mouth… and kept opening it… and kept opening it… okay, I can see how this could get annoying.

Seven seconds later, his mouth fully opened, and a slow sound began to reach my ears. _'Okay, fuck this. The Book mentioned something about using a modifier on the spell to make your senses function normally, so I'll use that.'_

I shifted the framework of the spell, and something in my mind _clicked_. The world seemed to jerk slightly, and I could suddenly hear what the man was saying. "-ill see you, now."

I nodded, tucking the Book beneath my shirt once more. "Thanks."

He nodded, turning and walking back through the door. Carn and I followed, Carn making sure to let me go first. I nodded to the guards on the way by, silently apologizing for my companion's motormouth. My thoughts continued to whir madly, dissecting what I had read about Diviners. Perhaps I could become one? The Book said most Diviners were purely support types, but with the help of the Book, I don't doubt I could easily sidestep that.

The Dream did specialize in blending together different Systems to create impossibilities, after all.

We finally reached a large set of double doors, and the man in the suit pulled them open. He paused mid-pull, however, and turned to look each of us in the eye. "If you ever listen to anything I have to say, let it be this. Never lie to the Shark, he knows more than you can imagine."

I blinked, remembering an entry from the Book about a world filled with machines and people in pods. "No shit, dude." I replied, my expression never changing. "He's a Living Mage, and you never know what they're up to."

 _'I totally know what I'm talking about, yep. A bona fide, experienced Revere. I know everything, and say nothing. Please don't call me on this, dude.'_

The man's expression turned confused. "A what?" He shook his head. "Never mind. You know that saying about sharks smelling blood?"

 _'…Okay. Apparently, most people don't know what Living Mages are. Possibly no_ one.' My lips twitched.' _I suppose I_ am _taking my information from a sentient book written by a mad genius, after all.'_

I nodded, saying nothing. He made a finger-slicing motion. "The instant you show weakness…"

Carn gasped. "'E can smell blood? That's bloody amazing, mate! I wish I could do that!"

 _'Oh, and Carn is a dense idiot, but that's nothing new.'_

The man blinked. "Er…"

I sighed. "Sorry, brother, but your rehearsed speech won't do shit against guys like us. We might look small, but we can kick the shit out of you if we have to."

His earnest expression fell. "I see. Well, my apologies then. That little speech usually has the newbies good and terrified by the time they see Boss."

I nodded. "Would've worked, if we were the run-of-the-mill Reveres, but we're the best of the best."

He chuckled. "I see. Well, good luck."

He finished pulling open the doors, and closed them behind us after we stepped through. Another dark hallway greeted us, and I cautiously led us forward. I didn't use a light, they would be expecting that. They might even have some sort of flammable gas or something just to weed out the morons. It's best to just use your five senses in these situations.

Finally, my slightly outstretched hand touched the wood of a door. I felt for the handle, and opened it. We stepped from the darkness to a bright room, a large desk in the center. I snorted. _'Disorientation tactics. Make 'em confused by changing rapidly from a dark to light room, then hammer 'em with questions. Classic interrogation tactics. Fortunately, I'm half-blind from using the lenses so many times, and Carn is simultaneously smart enough to let me do the talking and dumb enough to not actually remember anything of value.'_

As expected, a sharp voice spoke from behind the desk. "Oh? A pair of rookies, I see. And who might you be?"

I sighed. "Definitely not rookies, that's for sure. Wolf did the exact same thing to us last time we met. Now the real question is, did you steal the idea from him or did he steal it from you?"

 _'Good. I reversed the momentum of the conversation, got him talking, established that I have connections, and bought us time to observe further. Trap diffused.'_

I glanced around the room. It was pure white, with the only black present in the cushions of several chairs that were arranged in an arc facing the desk. The chairs themselves, as well as the desk, appeared to be made of solid marble, and were polished until they shone. The man behind the desk, most likely Shark, was very well groomed. He was remarkably handsome man with quirky long hair combed backward in a rough fashion that had a strand hanging down his face. He wore a white suit, the same color as the rest of the room, and had a sharp black tie. A pair of dark sunglasses hid his eyes.

The man chuckled. "Well, to be honest, he had it first. One of my boys spilled half his information before he even figured out where he was. I was fine with it, because the man didn't know too terribly much, and I got this little tactic out of it. And, upon further inspection, I can see you both came prepared." He tilted his head, light glinting off the frames of his dark glasses. "Odd. There aren't many things that can escape my notice."

I smiled slightly, smug in my knowledge, if a bit confused that Carn seemed to be protected as well. "You'd be surprised. I can name three off the top of my head, not even counting my companion's method."

He hummed in thought. "Your mind… seems… disjointed. Like there are four people speaking at once. And then they all start saying something simultaneously, and it _still_ makes no sense. As if it's all sped up or something. But, while it's strange…" He turned his head to look at Carn. "It's nothing compared to your companion's method. His mind is full of random thoughts, unimportant bits of information, and speculations about…" He seemed confused. "…Smelling blood?"

I chuckled. _'Yeah, that sounds about right.'_ "Sorry, cousin, but he's too smart for you. You might have figured out by now, but we're a team of movers and shakers. He knocks the other guy off his guard, and I pick up on what falls."

Carn's eyes widened. "Wait, I'm doin' what? I thought I was supposed to be smelling for blood!"

The man at the desk chuckled. "I see. I take it he's trained himself to make pointed observations at seemingly random times?"

 _'Training? Hell no. Carn just says whatever comes into his head as soon as he notices something new. I just decided to weaponize that. But still, he doesn't need to know that.'_

I nodded. "Yes. And I apologize if he says something insensitive, but I already had to talk him down from his normal methods."

He smiled, and gestured towards the chairs. "Thank you for the warning, Revere. But I would be more surprised if an obviously experienced team such as yourselves _didn't_ press me for information. You are, after all, making a living off of selling such tidbits."

He paused, tilting his head slightly. "And, ah, no. Mister…" He paused once more. "…Snuffleupagus. I do not have the teeth of a shark. That is simply a moniker that I go by, so as to not endanger my personal life. And, if I'm allowed to ask, what should I call you? Aloysius Snuffleupagus is a bit of a mouthful."

I blinked. _'Snuffleupagus? Goddammit, Carn.'_

Carn puffed out his chest proudly. "Ye' can call me Snuffy. 'S what all me friends call me."

To his credit, Shark didn't even bat an eye. "Very well. Snuffy and…"

I tilted my head slightly. "Call me Dee."

"Snuffy and Dee." He paused. "Darius 'Dee' Doorman, no?"

 _'Nope. Carn's just never bothered to learn my real name, so he probably just made that one up on the spot.'_ "Does it matter our names?" I asked calmly. "We're here to sell information, not fuck around."

He looked at me, and I heard a hint of amusement creep into his voice. "Nothing shakes you, does it?" Silence. "Well, good. I'm glad I'm working with professionals, then. So what do you have for me, Mister Dee?"

I smiled for the first time since we had entered the room. "Mister Shark, you seem to be making a beginner's mistake, here. You're convinced that we're the real deal, but we aren't nearly as certain about you. So, would you mind convincing us?"

He laughed, a gravelly sound that vibrated the chair I rested on. "Very well, Mister Dee." He reached into a drawer in his desk, and pulled out a metal briefcase. It opened with a soft _click_ , revealing several stacks of bank notes. "I trust this is to your satisfaction?"

I nodded, and opened my bag. "Yes. That's all we needed, sir." I pulled a small stack of papers out of my bag, and Carn did the same. "Now, let's do business. The first item I have is on the Accords—fifty grand, minimum."

He blinked. "Excuse me? The Accords?"

I nodded gravely. "I'll do you one better." I held up a half-burnt sheet of paper. "Signed Accords."

He began to smile. "Gentlemen… I do believe that this will be a wonderful relationship."

* * *

As we walked out of the building, Carn seemed to be buzzing with excitement. "'At was bloody amazing, mate! What the bloody 'ell even _was_ 'at!?"

I sighed, heading into a dark alley. I know this city like the back of my hand, and this is the easiest way to throw off pursuers. "I sold him the information, _Snuffy_ , just like I always do. What part of that was confusing?"

He laughed. "The whole thing! Ye' didn't just sell the papers, ye' haggled _upwards_!"

I shook my head, sighing. _'We should be safe, now, we're out of earshot of even the Yokai.'_ "I've told you before, Carn, always start small and haggle up once they realize what you have. I know people are always saying to start high and haggle down, but that's a pile of shit. Haggling down gives you a maximum sum, and after you name your price, it can only ever go down. We Reveres aren't salesmen, we're auctioneers. Whoever gives the highest bid, we sell to."

"Well, yeah, but wha' abou' the Accords thingie? It was only summat about children of Maous. What could he possibly use that for?"

I grunted, ducking into a side passage. "Easy. It means that the Crimson Lucifer is having some kind of issue involving his kid, so he had to get the law involved. From the looks of it, the addendum was meant to legalize different treatment of a Maou's child during, quote, 'extenuating circumstances'. That means one of two things—one, the kid is 'special needs'. Two, the kid is something so incredibly special that both the Maou and the Council had to agree to keep him safe. Both options mean there are some big waves headed our way."

Carn blinked. "…Eh?"

I shook my head. "Just… you have your cash, don't you?"

He nodded. "Aye. It's safe in me—"

"No, don't say where it is." I groaned. "Now, take a left and you'll reach the recycling plant. You know your way home from there, right?"

He blinked. "Oh, sweet! Thanks, mate! See ye tomorrow!"

And then he was gone, leaving me to my peace. I sighed in relief. While Carn is genuinely a good person, and wouldn't stab his worst enemy in the back, he's still not the brightest bulb in the box. Very useful for baffling people, though.

I turned a corner, and continued on my way. It was dark enough that I could only see vague silhouettes, and even those were blurry due to my declining vision, but I knew these alleys well enough to navigate blind. _'Now, what about that Diviner thing? The Author never explains how you can become each different 'class', so I'll be using only my observations and the Book itself as a tentative guideline. I wonder—'_

I stumbled, surprised. There was something, _someone_ , on the alley in front of me. They seemed to be unconscious, and their black hair blended in with the dark alleyway. I sighed, debating whether or not to leave them here. On one hand, they would probably wake soon, but on the other… they seemed rather small, which meant either a child or a woman. And as pragmatic as I am, I would hate to leave either behind in a dark alley, where the next person who comes along might be much less friendly.

I leaned down, finding their arms, and pulled them into a basic fireman's carry. After checking that they were secure, I continued on my way.

Forty minutes later, I finally arrived at Von's smithy once more. Fortunately, the Ash didn't flare up, as I was unsure whether or not the being I was carrying was capable of resisting it. I pushed open the door, slipped inside, and pulled it shut. Von glanced up, noticing my passenger with a raised eyebrow. "Who's that?"

I shrugged, walking over to the couch and setting them down. I took a step back, and clearly saw _her_ for the first time. She wore a simple, thin brown dress that was smudged with dirt from her time in the alley. Her hair was a midnight black, and was easily long enough to reach her waist. Oddly enough, she had a pair of black cat ears atop her head, and a tail peeked out the bottom of her dress.

Von blinked. "Kid, I know I said it was okay to bring girls home as long as you warned me first, but I was intending that for when you were a lot older."

I snorted. "She was passed out in an alley near Third and West. I didn't even know she was a girl until five seconds ago."

There was an awkward pause.

"So… should we just wait and see if she wakes up?"

"Pretty much, yeah." He agreed, turning back to whatever he was working on. "There's some leftovers in the fridge if you're hungry, but otherwise just find something to do. Read an Entry in that Book or something."

He sat on a bench, leaned over, and began to work. I sighed, and after grabbing a slice of cold pizza from the fridge, pulled a folding chair from its' spot by the wall and set it beside the couch. I suppose there are still Entries left that I haven't finished. Starting with the part two of the Diviner Entry. I opened the Book, and it flipped to the page I wanted.

* * *

 _Arcana #8: Divination Magic (Part Two)_

 _The first part of this entry explained that Divination Magic allows its user to see the probability of future events. This second part will take a look at what that means in practice._

 _For a start, Diviners don't get surprised much, at least not in the short term. A Diviner can see the next few seconds of his own immediate future very clearly and trying to give them a surprise (pleasant or unpleasant) rarely works unless the Diviner is asleep at the wheel._

 _Divination Magic is also great for finding your way around. A Diviner can move in pitch darkness as fast as a normal person can in full daylight. He can't actually see, but he knows which futures lead to him bumping into something or tripping over and he can choose different ones. He can also quickly pick out a route through an unfamiliar location by taking a second to find out where a path leads and whether there are obstacles on it._

 _Divination is a powerful defense as well. Diviners are very good at dodging and with a bit of practice can quite literally dodge bullets. It's not that they're fast – they're no quicker than a normal man – but no matter how swift the attack they're just not there when it lands. They can look through the futures, find the ones in which they're not hit, and take the necessary actions to lead to them, often without seeming to make any particular effort. There are limits and they can't dodge things that simply can't be dodged, but trying to hit an alert Diviner is frustratingly difficult._

 _Finally, although it's rarely used in this way, Divination Magic can be surprisingly effective as a means of attack. Most Mages tend to assume Diviners have no offensive ability, and in a way, it's true – Divination Magic is completely useless for directly hurting someone. But there's nothing stopping a Diviner from picking up a weapon and an attack from someone who knows exactly how to get through your defenses and where to hit to do the most damage can be very nasty indeed. They don't have the brute force that an Elemental Mage does, but their knowledge gives them powerful leverage._

 _Although the tricks above can help Diviners deal with short-term problems, it's not what they specialize in. A Diviner's real power lies in information._

 _Other Mages tend to assume that Diviners can find out the answer to any question by thinking about it. This is both right and wrong. Diviners can't simply ask a question and get an answer – the universe doesn't run a question-and-answer hotline. However, Diviners can look into possible futures. They can find out what would happen in conversations if they introduced a certain subject, see what would be visible to their eyes if they moved a certain way, discover what's behind a door or inside a private room…_

 _What this adds up to is a lot of information. Most of it is useless, but odd bits aren't. And while Diviners usually don't know what they're going to get, they have a lot of practice at putting pieces together and they can nearly always find out far more than other people would like them to._

 _Which doesn't really make them many friends._

 _Other Mages have very mixed feelings about Diviners. Almost every type of magic has more direct ability to influence the physical world than Divination does, and for all their tricks Diviners are no match for a Battlemage. What this means is that practically any Mage who looks at a Diviner knows that he could beat him up without much effort._

 _On the other hand, that Mage also knows that said Diviner, given time and motivation, could find out every one of the Mage's most private, embarrassing, and dangerous secrets. And Mages – especially ones who play the deadly political games of the Light Council and the Dark cabals – have a lot of secrets. Mages like the idea of Diviners working for them, but they most definitely don't like the idea of Diviners working against them, and they're never quite sure which one a Diviner is doing._

 _As a result, Mages tend to prefer to keep Diviners at a distance, and the feeling's often mutual. Diviners know how other Mages see them and are keenly aware of exactly how easily a Battlemage could crush them in a direct conflict. It's usually much safer for a Diviner to stay on the edges of magical society, out of sight._

 _In secret, many a Diviner have become assassins. Battlemages could certainly easily decimate a Diviner up close and personal, but consider that the Diviner is a mile away with a sniper rifle. They know when and where their target is highly likely to be. They know where to set up with the greatest chance of getting away. And when shooting simply look about 5 seconds into the future, does the bullet hit? If no then readjust until they get it right, then fire. Instant death._

* * *

I glanced over to the next page, and to my shock, found several theories as to how Divination would work. Not the musings of a madman, but a solid theory. There was a note explaining that while the Author tried to follow this path, he discovered that he didn't have the talent for it. His magic instead fell under the realm of Space Magic.

The theory stated that for an aspiring Diviner to awaken their powers, they would simply need to open their mind to the outside forces. Universal Magic, the Author explained, was accepting a loss of control in exchange for an abundance of power. He mentioned how his own Space Magic controlled him more than he controlled it.

I chuckled to myself at the thought. _'Loss of control, eh?'_ I glanced around my surroundings. _'It's not like I've ever really had much control in the first place.'_

I looked over the cat-girl once more, and decided she really wasn't going to be waking up soon. I glanced over the theory once more, reading the instructions more closely this time.

* * *

 _Most people think seeing the future is like reading a book. You skip a few pages ahead, see what's going to happen. That's impossible, of course. You reach a fork in the road: do you go left or right? You might go one way; you might go the other. It's your choice, no one else's._

 _What a Diviner sees, is probability. In one future you go left; in another you go right; in a third, you stop and ask for directions. A hundred branches, each branching again and again to create thousands, for every one of the millions of people living on this earth. Billions and trillions of futures, branching in every way through four dimensions like a river delta the size of a galaxy._

 _You can't look at all that at once. If you opened your sight to all the possible futures of everything around you, even for an instant, the knowledge would destroy you, wipe away your mind like an ocean wave rolling over a drop of water. Seeing into the future is a constant discipline, always keeping your guard up, always focused. The real reason there are so few Diviners is that most of them either go crazy or block their power off so that they don't have to deal with it anymore._

 _The Diviners who don't go crazy learn to see futures in terms of strength. Everyone develops their own code, a way of interpreting the information. To the one I spoke with, futures appeared as lines of light in the darkness. The stronger and more likely the future, the brighter the glow._

 _The next thing you learn is how to sort futures, search for groupings of events in which things happen a certain way. And once you've done that, all you have to do is look back along the strands and find out which actions lead to them._

 _Now, first thing's first. Open your mind, and see into the universe._

 _(I swear to Christ, if you haven't learned how to do that yet, CLOSE THIS BOOK NOW. Any dipshit stupid enough to read this before the introduction chapter is too stupid to live.)_

* * *

The rest of the page was blank. I HAD read the introduction, so there wasn't an issue. The Author occasionally did things like this, making the page blank to all but those who had connected to the universe itself. I opened my mind, and the world seemed to… dim, slightly. _This is the most basic form any Dreamer learns_ ; the Book had told me in the introduction. Opening one's mind carefully enough that you don't lose yourself, yet fully enough that you can affect the World around you. The absolute essence of the Dream.

 _If you've made it this far, then you're not a complete moron. Congratulations, you can follow basic instructions. Now the next part is a bit confusing, and I couldn't understand it myself, being a Space Mage and all. He said to 'look beyond the now, and into the might-be.'_

I blinked. That was certainly cryptic as hell. But still, I tried to follow the instructions. Slowly, ever so slowly, I began to open my mind further, trying to 'look beyond the now', or whatever that meant.

I abruptly learned _exactly_ what that meant as the full force of the future slammed into me. I almost fell off my chair as millions of voices, actions, and whispers of possibility smashed into my skull at the speed of Von eating a burrito.

Shut up, my metaphors are perfect. You've just never seen Von eat a burrito.

I managed to close my mind enough to breathe once more, and the possibilities faded to a dull roar. I grimaced, looking back to the instructions.

 _Now, this is going to be hard. Damn near impossible, even. But I want you to let go. Stop holding back the futures, and let them happen. Find a still point in your world, and latch onto it. Then, let go._

I froze. _'Let go? Are you insane? Never mind, stupid question. I already knew he was a psychotic bastard before I even started the introduction. But still… the Book literally just warned me of what could happen if I looked too far, opened my mind completely. I'd rather not lose my mind, thank you very much.'_

I took a deep breath, trying to remember what else the Book had said about it. Finally, I recalled the Author's cryptic warning before I even reached the instructions. 'Universal Magic was accepting a loss of control in exchange for an abundance of power.'

A loss of control.

I gritted my teeth, closing my eyes. _'Dammit, I know I'm going to regret this.'_

And I let go.

The next few… seconds? Minutes? Hours? Were pure agony. I could feel my mind being stretched, pulled into every different direction as it tried to contain the vastness of the future. And then, when I thought all was lost, that it would destroy my mind like it had so many others', I felt a tug from my magic. It washed over my mind, soothing its' cuts and scars, stitching back together the broken sections. I was finally able to pull my mind away from the scarring mass of possibilities. And yet… they never quite left me. They were still there, at the edge of my mind.

I took a gasping breath, doubling over in my chair as I tried not to vomit. My entire body ached, and I could tell my remaining mana was nil. _'That… was intense.'_ I glanced down at the little Book, still sitting innocuously on my lap. I hesitantly reached out, hand shaking, and picked it up once more.

 _Oh, good, you survived._

Asshole.

 _Well, since you obviously read Section 2 Entry 4, which warns of the dangers involved in using magics beyond your sphere of influence and gives you a simple test to let you know what kind of Mage you are, you weren't worried at all._

 _If you didn't, you're a fucking moron._

…All right, maybe I deserved that one. I'm pretty sure I skipped that Entry so that I could get to the part about Mind Magic faster. I _really_ should've finished that one first.

 _Now, the next thing you need to do is sort the possibilities. This will take quite some time, as you need to carefully group each possibility with those like it, searching for groupings of events in which things happen a certain way. And there are many, many possibilities. (Please see Thought Acceleration for some help in this matter. It's a nice, Neutral magic that anyone can use, regardless of their affinity.)_

 _Once you've done that, all there's left to do is practice. Use your ability constantly, looking at all of the possibilities ahead of you, until you can see five minutes ahead of you at all times. What happens if you use jam instead of Nutella for your sandwiches? What happens when you turn left instead of right on that path?_

 _But please, bear in mind, Diviners cannot predict what someone with free will will say, not with perfect accuracy. For this reason, it's best to actually hold conversations with other people._

 _And unless you have something similar to Devil magic at your disposal, find someone else to throw fireballs for you. Hell, find a Chance Mage and start picking and choosing what will happen. Just please, don't piss off anyone stronger than you._

I sighed, closing my eyes and shutting the Book. I had it size down once more, and tucked it beneath my shirt.

Time to get to work.

* * *

By the time I managed to sort out the possibilities into their respective groups, it was already dinner time, and the black-haired girl was beginning to stir. Quick warning—don't _ever_ use Thought Acceleration for five hours straight. It gives you the mother of all whiplash when you finally return your mind to normal. I still managed to make my way to the toilet before the vertigo caused me to expel the contents of my meager lunch, though, so thank God for small blessings.

As the Book said, every mind interpreted the futures differently, putting them into a context they could understand. My mind thought of the future as a path of winding alleys. The darker the alley, the less likely the future, and vice-versa. During those hours of sorting, I set up my Memory Partition to practice. One Partition was entirely dedicated to sorting, but the rest were working in complete synchrony. 3^3 is twenty-seven trains of thought, all moving at seven times normal speed and doing their damnedest to make sense of the futures they saw. At this point, I had only gotten good enough to see a second or two into all the possible futures in a given group, but it's still good enough to know what will kill me and what won't.

I stumbled back to my chair, sitting down heavily and wiping my mouth on my sleeve. I blinked tiredly, glancing over at Von. I looked ahead a few seconds, noticing that if I said anything, he would jump in surprise and ruin whatever he was working on.

Five hours, at seven times the speed. That's thirty-five hours straight of sorting through possibilities over and over and over again in order to train my magic to do it automatically.

But soooo~ worth it.

I glanced over at the black-haired girl this time, looking ahead until she woke up. I gleaned from various paths of conversation that she had been looking for her little sister before she blacked out. I couldn't get further than that before she became skittish and defensive. So… what if I greeted her by name and offer my help?

Ouch.

Apparently she knows Senjutsu. Good to know, painful to realize.

Well, at any rate, she'll be waking up in… sixty-seven seconds. As I considered various possibilities and walked different routes, the future shifted and changed. As I ceased seeing some things as an option, those futures disappeared and others opened.

Author, thank you for your help. This is amazing.

I finally settled on a path as she stirred. She groaned, sitting up and glancing around, her expression deceptively sleepy as her eyes darted around her unfamiliar surroundings. She noticed me, and turned to size me up. I kept my usual firm expression in place, knowing that if I showed any other expression she would assume I was the one to make her black out.

"I found you passed out in the alley." I told her bluntly. Not soothingly, she would find that patronizing and would start the conversation hating me. Not a good idea.

She smiled sweetly, swinging her legs into a sitting position. It was meant to make me lower my guard, but I could tell she was ready to bolt if she had to. "Why, thank you, mister Revere."

"Call me Dee." I stood, turning to pick up my chair, folding it and placing it against the wall. For once, my ambling gait served a purpose, making her relax slightly. "You're in a shop called _T_ _he Iron Strike_." I told her, returning to my spot. "I don't know what time you collapsed, but I found you about noon and brought you straight back here. It's six now."

She turned, noticing the smithy for the first time. She seemed to relax at the sight, slumping in her seat. "Oh, I know this place. It's run by Von, right?"

I tilted my head in acknowledgement. "Yes, but he's out right now. I'm his apprentice."

Her eyes went to my calloused and scarred hands. "I see. Well, Von is a friend of my mother, so he'll know where my house is. I'll just wait here until then."

I nodded silently, walking around the couch and into the tiny kitchen. I filled a glass with water from the tap and walked back, handing it to her. "Here. You can purify it if you want, I won't be insulted."

She tensed slightly. "H-how did you—"

"Ears." I replied bluntly. "Naskapi is the only place left for Nekoshou to hide, as dangerous as it is. I just put two and two together."

She relaxed, and seemed to look me over more closely. "You're the same age as I am." She noted, sounding surprised.

I nodded. "So, care to tell me what you were doing in that alley?"

She tilted her head, her ears twitching. "Why would I answer that?"

"Because I might be able to help. I know this city like only a Revere can, its' alleys and hiding places." I replied, holding out the glass of water.

She took it, and I could see a soft glow coming from the water. A breath of fresh air brushed past my face, smelling of green forests and bubbling streams, long-forgotten memories surfacing. She took a drink, and soon the entire glass had been drained of its' contents. Finally, I spoke. "I'll tell you what. I'll answer as many questions as you do, but only if you're honest."

She hesitated, but eventually nodded. I spoke once more. "All right then. What you were doing in that alley?"

"Things." She replied easily, a smile flickering onto her face. "What's your real name?"

"A word." I replied just as easily, killing her smile. "We can give each other bullshit answers all night, or we can actually answer each other's questions. What you were doing in that alley?"

She sighed. "Worth a shot. You might've been one of those heroic, honest people."

"Gullible people, you mean." I deadpanned. "I'm a Revere. Just today, I talked Shark out of a briefcase of cash. If I were gullible, I would've gotten robbed blind. If you want to play politics, I can dance circles around you. Don't try me. If you have questions, answer mine first."

She scowled. "Shark? I call bullshit."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a simple contract. At the bottom was a shiny seal of admission. "I bullshit you not, sister. He even invited me back."

Her eyes widened, and the futures involving her attacking me disappeared entirely. "A-ah. My apologies, then." She hesitated, then answered. "I was looking for my little sister. She's a little girl, about two and a half, with white ears just like mine. Have you…?"

I shook my head. If I treated her question as a question and then demanded an answer to one of mine, she would punch me. "No, sorry. Now, your question?"

She eyed me. "How do I know you're Von's apprentice? You could be his creepy illicit son, for all I know."

The conversation branched wildly at this point, each future a different possibility, with extremely touchy conditions. Likely things like whether or not she believed me, or the tone and inflection I used. In ninety-nine out of a hundred futures, what I said only lead to her deciding I wasn't worth her time. I searched for the future in which I was, looked back to see what I had to do to make it happen, and did it. I didn't have the faintest idea why I had to say or do things that way. I just knew it would work.

I sighed, walking over to Von's workbench and picking up a seemingly innocuous cylinder with a metal handle. I returned to my original spot and held the handle in one hand and twisted the cylinder with the other. There was a click, and I unsheathed a menacing, twisted blade. It was grooved, triple-edged, and sharp enough to cut a thread draped over it. "See this?"

She nodded hesitantly, eyeing the odd blade. I chuckled. "It's the best knife I've ever made. Full length is eleven inches, eight-inch blade, three-inch handle, and has a ridged grip to prevent slipping. It's light, maneuverable, has a spiraled triangular blade on one end and a hollow compartment for dispensing poison or holding a catalyst in the handle. Hold this thing tight, and it'll act like a drill." I swung the blade slowly, mimicking a blow. "It'll stab a circular hole, straight through their skull. Even without the enchantments, when thrown it'll puncture damn near any shield spell short of an Elemental Shield."

Her eyes were fairly large at this point, having just been told I could no-sell her entire defensive strategy with good enough aim. To her credit though, her voice remained steady. "I-I see… and the enchantments?"

I smirked. "Almost every single one I know. I was able to call in a favor with a guy at the mines, and got myself several different ores. It's not mithril, but this fucker's got the closest alloy possible. Mythril is famous for its' strength and amount of enchantments it can hold, right? Well, while this thing can't even come close to its' strength, it smashes mythril's record of five self-sustaining enchantments by _two_."

Despite herself, she was definitely getting interested. I stayed on the initial path, however, deciding that jumping ship at this point to sell some girl a trinket would be stupid. "It has at least two eighth order enchantments as well as several other, lower-level spells. Immortal Animation and the Spell of True Ownership are only the beginning. It also has three separate blessings, the Spell of Perpetual Sharpness, and a spell that makes it heat up on command."

 _'I would be using it myself, if Reveres weren't banned from holding weapons.'_ I grumbled to myself.

She blinked. "I'm fairly sure at least one of those gives it intelligence."

"Only enough to pick and recognize its' owner." I replied, re-sheathing the blade and holding it at my side. "It's top-of-the line, and not even Von has seen what this thing can do yet, what with how busy he's been lately. Do you believe me, now?"

"Yes." She murmured. "I do." She raised her voice to normal speaking tones. "Why did you pick me up in that alley?"

I took a deep breath, taking a step back to lean against the wall. A quick check revealed that I was still on the right track. "That's… a complex question. I'm going to be honest here, and I need to know if I can trust you."

She nodded, seeming slightly offended. "I won't tell anyone a word."

I smiled slightly, and began to speak. "Good. Well, I picked you up because I thought you needed it. I'm a Seer, even if I'm not a very good one. I saw you, and thought you needed help." Her ears twitched, and she nodded. _'Oh, shit, is she using Senjutsu as a lie-detector? Magic, don't fail me now.'_

"You're a Chance Mage." I continued bluntly. "Even if you don't know how to use it, you still have the talent." I paused, putting the sheathed blade in my pocket. While it was true, it had taken me some serious Path-Walking in order to find out about it. "Thing is, the kind of magic I'm referring to is human magic. It shouldn't be possible for you to have any natural talent with those cat ears, meaning you're not completely Nekoshou."

Her expression twisted. "I'm half-human." She spat bitterly. "What of it?"

I sighed. "Calm down, I don't care about blood purity or whatever. Hell, my best friend is a half-Devil. You asked why I picked you up, and I'm giving you your answer. The bottom line is, even if my powers are weak, I can still see a little. I get impressions sometimes, too. And right now?" I looked her square in the eye. "Both of those are telling me that you're going to be a large part of my future one day."

Her entire face turned beet red, her ears pointing straight up. I pretended to be oblivious, continuing. "I don't know how or why, but you're going to have a large impact on my life somewhere down the line. That could mean one of two things. Either you're an enemy, or an ally. If I left you there you might've become my enemy. And even if I don't know your full capabilities, I think I'd rather have you as an ally."

This was the hard part, and if I screwed up a single motion, she'd definitely wind up smashing me through a wall. I walked over, not moving a single facial muscle, and sat on the couch beside her. I kept my emotions in check, storing all unnecessary emotions behind a Memory Partition. Meeting her eyes once more, I spoke in a soft voice and held the knife out to her, grip-first. "So tell me, kitten, are you going to be my ally?"

Her face flushed once more, and she averted her golden eyes. "W-well, um…"

I sighed, trying to project disappointment. "Never mind, then. I'm sor—"

"Wait!" She yelped swiveling to face me once more. "Your predictions! Have they ever been wrong?"

I shook my head. "No. Never."

 _'Never in my five hours' worth of experience, that is.'_

Cheeks flaming, she reached out a hand and took the dagger. "T-then I'll do it! F-for the future!"

I smiled kindly, reaching out and ruffling her hair. "Good." I murmured, noticing that her cheeks reddened even further. "You'll need to name it, then. That's how the blade will recognize its' owner."

She glanced down at the still sheathed blade, and undid the sheath with a soft click. "Whisper." She decided, and the grooves of the blade began to glow.

As the glow died down, the future shifted once more. Somehow, the chances of her hitting or otherwise striking me were practically nil as well. Don't ask me how giving her a magic knife made her less violent, but it did.

…I'm starting to understand why Diviners don't rule the world. Yes, the magic is powerful, but its' purposes lie mostly in information gathering, rather than practical knowledge.

She started fidgeting, her face reddening once more for inexplicable reasons. "U-um… so… my name is Kuroka. What's yours?"

I hesitated, but a quick check told me that giving her a fake name would only irritate her. I sighed. "Dakota. But please call me Dee."

She nodded. "All right… Dee."

I pulled back my hand and rose to my feet. "Well, now that we've got that figured out, let's find your sister. I might be able to help a bit, if you tell me what to look for."

She blinked. "What do you mean, what to look for?"

The future shifted once more, and I noticed that the futures in which she refused my help were appearing less and less. I relaxed slightly, letting go of the 'alley' I had been following. "There's a technique called 'path-walking'. It allows me to look down a particular future and make different choices to see how they affect it. The catch is, I can only work with the information I have. Right now, she could be anywhere in the city."

Kuroka's eyes widened. "Really? Do you need a crystal ball or something to see that far?"

I shook my head, thinking back to the vague instructions in the Book. "No, I just need my magic and somewhere my body won't be disturbed. But at my level, if I go more than a day in the future, I'll lose the connection with my body."

She frowned. "So, just tell you where to look, and make sure not to break your concentration?"

I nodded. "Pretty much, yeah."

She blinked. "That's… oddly convenient."

I shrugged. "Magic generally is. Now, where might she be?"

Her brow creased in thought, and she didn't speak for a moment. Finally, she answered. "Somewhere in the forest. Probably practicing her Senjutsu. I would be able to sense her, but there's an Ash storm coming."

My eyes narrowed, and I looked ahead. "In three hours, yeah. But why would that…"

"Stop me from sensing her before?" She finished. "Because my range isn't that large, and I was circling the city to cover all possible ground. As for the Ash… I don't know. It's odd. Whenever there's a storm coming, the entire city seems to get wrapped in this… ominous cloud. It makes sensing impossible."

I sighed. "Well, which parts of the forest might she be in?"

She shrugged. "The… north, I guess? I checked most of the other areas already."

 _'Great…'_ I grumbled to myself. "All right. Von should be here in… huh. Too much variation. A minimum of forty minutes, a maximum of two hours. We've got plenty of time. Just… give me a few minutes. Guard my body, won't you?"

She nodded hesitantly. "Just… make sure no one bumps you, right?"

I nodded. "Pretty much. There's nothing much to it, but if I lose track of a Path, I have to track it down again, and… well. There are billions of possibilities, and tracking down a single one is like steering a feather through a sandstorm."

She nodded. "Okay."

I checked the immediate future one more time to make sure she didn't shank me or something, but it seemed relatively safe, so I closed my eyes and let my consciousness drift.

In my mind, I stood up from the chair, walking out the door and down the street. I adjusted my hat, allowing my sunglasses to slide down my nose as I glanced above the rims. When one has blue hair, they go for all the anonymity they can. I slipped into an alley, navigating the spaces between buildings as I headed north. I squeezed into a gap less than a foot across, waiting a few seconds for a group of men who had spiked hair and the flush of alcohol in their cheeks. I don't know who they are, but nothing good will come of them seeing me. After they passed, I returned to my journey. I eventually reached the edge of the forest, and glanced around. If I went left…

Ouch. Nope. I distinctly remember the forest as nice and peaceful, not full of man-eating plants. So, safe to say she isn't that way.

I went right instead, wandering for the next hour or so and calling for Shirone. After too much time had passed, I cut off that future and returned to the moment I exited the last alley. I was looking once more at the forest before me, and this time I decided to just go straight. I evaded most of the disturbing plants, having to cut a few paths short so as to not experience being eaten too many times. I continued calling for the elusive girl, wandering around for the next half-hour or so. I paused when I heard the rustle of branches behind me. Cursing my failing eyesight, I turned and squinted into the darkness. The future was abruptly cut short as something tore through my throat, knocking me back on my ass and continuing to shred my fallen form. Huge gashes opened in my chest, my ribcage shattered as my foe continued its' assault. Agony laced every breath, and my vision began to dim as I looked up at the blurry silhouette of my attacker.

I cursed, feeling the phantom pains of my injuries as I cut the thread and jumped back a few minutes. I activated my Clearsight glasses, deciding that I had at least enough vision left to use them for a few seconds. The night sprang into sharp focus, and I slowly advanced down the same route I had walked before. The branches rustled once more, and I turned in time to catch a flash of white. I ducked, and my attacker flew past me in a failed attempt to cleave my throat out. I ducked and wove, straining my mind and looking a second into the future.

Hey, it's hard enough to Path Walk, but looking into the future while doing it? You'd be lucky to get vague impressions, let alone solid probabilities.

Nevertheless, the impressions were enough to tell me what to do in order to cut the Path short, so I just did the complete opposite. I leaned away from a scything cut, ducked a left hook, and blocked a kick that would've knocked me out. Unfortunately, no matter how good I am, I was on a clock. My vision dimmed by the second, and that meant the future was dimming as well. My dodges were getting narrower and narrower, and I still hadn't gotten a good look at my attacker. Finally, I stumbled on a protruding root while stepping away from a cut that made the air sing, and my attacker instantly cut me down where I stood. My last instants finally afforded me another detail of my foe—eyes of glowing gold, slit by a black pupil. My head bounced off the ground, and I lost my grip on the Path.

I allowed myself to slowly make my way back to consciousness, grimacing as all the phantom pains hit my body at once. I gritted my teeth, waiting for the throbbing to become bearable, and opened my eyes.

A pair of amber orbs greeted me, a pretty face with flushed cheeks only inches from mine. She blinked, jerking back with a squeak as her oddly red face deepened in color. I sighed, straightening and wincing as the pains in my chest returned. "All right." I grumbled, gingerly poking at my nonexistent wound. "Question. Your sister with the white hair. She wouldn't happen to have golden eyes, would she?"

Kuroka blinked, her red face slowly losing its' color. "Y-yes. Why?"

I rubbed my eyes, deciding not to reply. "Senjutsu has dangers, doesn't it? Or so I've heard."

Her face had lost its' flush, and she fiddled with the sheath of her new knife. "Yes. The force of Nature…" She hesitated, snapping the sheath into place with a quiet click. "…It's corrupted. If one were to take too much at one time, you would turn into a monster."

I nodded once. "Right. So, if said sister were to have fallen into such a state, would you be able to help?"

She nodded. "I just have to touch her in order to purge the corruption." She paused, looking worried. "Is she really…"

"Carved me up like a Christmas turkey." I said bluntly. "Twice. Not fun."

She frowned. "Couldn't you defend yourself? Throw a fireball or something?"

I snorted. "Mage 101, girl. Mages can only ever have one kind of magic. The human system is cheap, but governed by strict rules. That's why I was so excited you were a Chance Mage."

There was a brief silence as she digested this.

"So…" She began, twisting the sheath off the knife once more. "We have to go find her, and I have to touch her in order to bring her back to normal." She stood, and made her way towards the door. She paused, looking back to me with an irritated expression. "Well?"

I grunted, rising to my feet and sliding on the Clearsight lenses. I followed her out the door and led the way to the alley I used the first time. I paused, glancing back to her. "Wait, are you okay with tearing your clothes a bit? I'm thinner than you are, so you might end up at least getting yourself dirty."

She huffed, crossing her arms. Her ears stood straight up, and her tail lashed. "I'm perfectly capable of doing anything you can, Dee. Girls can be strong too, you know."

I sighed. "No, I know that. Half the gang bosses in the city are girls. I'm just wondering if your mom would want you ripping your dress."

She flinched, glancing down at the garment in question. "…Oh." She murmured. "Right."

I grunted, unzipping my jacket and handing it to her. "Here. Now, don't get left behind."

I turned and began the long route to the edge of the city.

* * *

We strode along the route I had taken in my Path, making sure to avoid the carnivorous plants that Kuroka visibly flinched upon seeing. "Corrupted Nature Chakra." She mumbled, turning her gaze to the frayed sleeves of her jacket. "Probably what made her snap."

I glanced at the enormous venus flytrap, making sure to give it a wide berth. "Wouldn't corrupt Chakra just dissolve the plants?" I asked, trying to distract myself from my previous acidic death at the jaws of a similar plant.

She shook her head. "Nature Chakra can't destroy plants, just corrupt them. That's why the Ash just hurts humans, not the buildings or streets. If touched, it would burn the skin. If it enters the eye, it causes blindness. If consumed, one's innards would be dissolved. But it doesn't actually kill you directly, because all it's doing is corrupting the Chakra of your body wherever it touches you."

I elected to accept that and move on. I'm hardly an expert on Chakra, I'm just skating by on hearsay.

We finally reached the place I had been attacked, and I looked ahead to check for our 'guest'. "She's to our left." I murmured softly. "Take two steps back and crouch down."

She nodded and did as I asked, and I took a step forward. I plotted this part out meticulously, knowing that if I made a single wrong move, I was dead. Kuroka took only two seconds to purify her sister once I pinned her, but first I had to catch her. Whatever path I chose, the element of free will meant that I couldn't know with certainty what she would do. I just had to give it my best shot.

I deliberately snapped a twig with my foot, and the fight blurred into action. I didn't turn on my Clearsight lenses, knowing I could win without them. Tilting my head, I avoided a scything blow from her claws as I stepped back. Three rapid-fire strikes followed, targeting my ribs, stomach, and spleen. I felt a thin line of blood drip down from my now ruined shirt as I missed a step, and I grimaced to myself. My window was in five… four… three… I ducked a flying kick, spinning and holding my arms _just so_. Two… one… zero. I braced myself, and the next assault was met with a perfect counter. I twisted her arm behind her back, swept her legs out from under her, and slammed her face-down into the dirt.

Kuroka didn't waste time, immediately joining me and helping me hold her down with her own augmented strength. Holding a glowing palm to the back of her sister's head, she took a deep breath and let it out. Her sister's struggles gradually ceased, and I let go of her arms. Soon enough, the little silver-haired girl was fast asleep.

Kuroka gasped for air, releasing a breath I didn't know she had been holding. She stumbled to her feet, picking her sister up in a princess carry. She shot me a tired smile, and I nodded once in return. "Let's get back to Von's smithy." I suggested, turning and leading the way.

"W-wait!" She yelped, stumbling after me.

I turned, and the future became slightly vague. I blinked. _'Huh. She must be making a decision.'_

She took a deep breath, and the future snapped back into place. "A-actually, why don't I tell you where I live?" She glanced furtively at me, cheeks flushing. "I-I mean, if you're a Revere, we shouldn't have to wait for Von, right?"

I shrugged nonchalantly, inwardly doing a victory dance "Fine with me. Where to, then?"

* * *

I closed the door behind me, bell tinkling lightly. Von paused in his work, glancing up. "You took her home, then, lover boy?" He asked, wiping his brow.

I nodded, ignoring his good-natured ribbing. "She's Fujimai's daughter. Kuroka."

He raised an eyebrow, humming to himself in thought. "Ah, the nice lady from the outer district, yes?"

A silent nod was his only reply.

He sighed, setting aside his hammer and wiping his hand. "Not a good background, that. I bet she didn't like her old man, did she?"

I shook my head. "Seemed to hate her human side for some reason. Any idea why?"

He sighed. "I do, at that." He wiped off his face, leaning against his workbench. "Mai's a Nekomata from the Nekoshou clan. At some point in the past, she met a human scientist and fell in love with him. Problem is, it wasn't mutual. The guy only wanted to have sex out of lust for her. She still wanted to pursue him regardless, but it didn't work. Eventually she became pregnant with and bore his children, but the father never paid too much attention to them."

I grimaced. "That sucks."

"It does." He agreed, picking up his hammer and tongs once more. "But it's none of our business."

I nodded, and he returned to his work. I walked over to my couch and sat down, pulling out my Book.

 ** _Section 2: Arcana._**

 _Table of Contents #1: Human Magic  
_

 _This Section_ _covers 'big-picture' topics – magic types, how spells work, the political structure of the Light Council and their relations with Dark mages, and so on._

 _Entry #1: Introduction to Magic_  
 _Entry #2: The Three Families_  
 _Entry #3: Types of Magic_  
 _Entry #4: Normals, Sensitives, and Adepts_  
 _Entry #5: Light Mages_  
 _Entry #6: Dark Mages_  
 _Entry #7: Divination Magic (Part One)_  
 _Entry #8: Divination Magic (Part Two)_  
 _Entry #9: Chance Magic_  
 _Entry #10: Time Magic_  
 _Entry #11: Introduction to Spells_  
 _Entry #12: Spell Components_  
 _Entry #13: Learning Spells_  
 _Entry #14: Council Factions (Part One)_  
 _Entry #15: Council Factions (Part Two)_  
 _Entry #16: Council Factions (Part Three)_  
 _Entry #17: A Mage's Name_  
 _Entry #18: Fire Magic (Part One)_  
 _Entry #19: Fire Magic (Part Two)_  
 _Entry #20: The Concord (Part One)_  
 _Entry #21: The Concord (Part Two)_  
 _Entry #22: The Concord (Part Three)_  
 _Entry #23: The Concord (Part Four)_  
 _Entry #24: The Concord (Part Five)_  
 _Entry #25: The Keepers of the Flame_  
 _Entry #26: The Keeper Orders_  
 _Entry #27: Charm Magic_  
 _Entry #28: Gate Spells_  
 _Entry #29: Life Magic_  
 _Entry #30: Force Magic_  
 _Entry #31: Mind Magic_  
 _Entry #32: Magesight_  
 _Entry #33: Space Magic_  
 _Entry #34: Water Magic_  
 _Entry #35: Air Magic_  
 _Entry #36: Other Worlds (Part One)_  
 _Entry #37: Other Worlds (Part Two)_  
 _Entry #38: Other Worlds (Part Three)_  
 _Entry #39: Other Worlds (Part Four)_  
 _Entry #40: Death Magic_  
 _Entry #41: Earth Magic_  
 _Entry #42: Master and Apprentice (Part One)_  
 _Entry #43: Master and Apprentice (Part Two)_  
 _Entry #44: Master and Apprentice (Part Three)_  
 _Entry #45: Master and Apprentice (Part Four)_  
 _Entry #46: Master and Apprentice (Part Five)_  
 _Entry #47: Master and Apprentice (Part Six)_  
 _Entry #48: Advanced Divination (Part One)_  
 _Entry #49: Advanced Divination (Part Two)_  
 _Entry #50: Advanced Divination (Part Three)_  
 _Entry #51: Advanced Divination (Part Four)_  
 _Entry #52: Advanced Divination (Part Five)_  
 _Entry #53: Advanced Divination (Part Six)_  
 _Entry #54: Advanced Divination (Part Seven)_  
 _Entry #55: Normals and Magic (Part One)_  
 _Entry #56: Normals and Magic (Part Two)_  
 _Entry #57: Normals and Magic (Part Three)_  
 _Entry #58: Normals and Magic (Part Four)_  
 _Entry #59: Normals and Magic (Part Five)_  
 _Entry #60: Shapeshift Magic_  
 _Entry #61: Sound Magic_  
 _Entry #62: Ice Magic_

I sighed, slightly disappointed. I had already devoured the entire Advanced Divination subject, and had learned quite a bit from it. The first described the reasons why Diviners weren't gods, the second introduced Path-Walking, the third explained how to form patterns in the futures, and the fifth, sixth, and seventh introduced the different schools of Divination. I had read them all after I frustrated myself trying to manage all the possibilities. Unfortunately, that also meant that I have nothing else to learn from the Book on that topic.

...

...

...

After my day of excitement, I didn't actually find reading all that interesting. So what else _can_ I do?

I glanced over the table of contents once more.

 _'Maybe I can figure out how to teach Carn Elemental magic?'_


	3. Eyes of Misery

**Chapter 2: Eyes of Misery**

* * *

I sighed, rubbing my eyes.

It had been several months since Kuroka had visited, and she hadn't returned since. I occasionally stopped by to check in on her, but otherwise we kept to ourselves. In my spare time, I tracked down Carn and taught him Elemental magic. It wasn't as hard as I originally thought it to be, even if the Book was practically useless on the subject. As soon as I taught him the basics, he took to it like a duck to water, seeming to instinctually gravitate towards the element of Earth. It certainly helped whenever we needed to bust some skulls or make a quick getaway.

However, magic isn't my problem right now. My Sight has never been clearer, and I can see almost a month into the future now when given a quiet room without distractions. But again, it's not my Sight that's in flux. It's my sight. My normal eyes, no modifications. These days, overuse of the Clearsight lenses has left me unable to see more than a foot in every direction. I've been using Carn as my eyes, seeing as he can use the earth itself to sense things, but that won't help my Sight. After all, Divination relies on your five senses, and without my sight, I can't tell a bullet from a wood chip without feeling them.

Not to mention, when you reading through endless amounts of papers for a living, you kind of need your eyes.

Hence what I'm doing now.

I sighed, leaning back into the comforting embrace of my couch. I finally remembered the Book's version of the Clearsight lenses a day ago, when I was racking my brains for a solution for my dilemma. I only skimmed them before, so I should probably finish reading them, if only to exhaust all possible resources.

I opened the Book, running a finger lightly over its' cover. "Morning, girl." I whispered. "Would you mind helping me out?"

The Book fluttered sleepily, but gradually began flipping to the required page. I glanced down at the blueprint, finding nothing new. I sighed, rubbing my eyes once more. This was the part I had already read. I had been hoping to see something that would help me reverse the damage to my eyes, something I had missed the first time, but no such thing seemed to exist. Out of desperation more than anything, I turned the page, hoping to see something different in the notes. The lurid red text of the title caught my eye, making me squint in an attempt to read the spidery handwriting.

 ** _Theory #56: Eyes of Misery (Kangeki)_**

 _The previous blueprint was a practical application of said eyes. It allows for basic memory enhancement, but has the high cost of gradually worsening one's eyesight. It does have the benefit of allowing absolutely anyone to use them, unlike the actual eyeballs._

 _Fucking Naruto…_

 _Anyway._

 _I was able to come up with a working version of said eyes. It was more of a project of curiosity, really, and after realizing that they could not be reproduced without also reproducing the negative effects, I had no intention of using them myself. After all, they are indeed activated only by intense emotions, and you have to feel those emotions every time you turn the damn things on, so… yeah. Not my kind of style, especially considering that my Sin is Wrath._

Sin? What Sin? The fuck is he even talking about?

 _When a wielder of these eyes experiences a powerful emotional condition with regards to a person precious to them, their brain releases a special signal that affects the optic nerves, transforming the eyes into the Eyes of Misery; for that reason, they are described as an "eye that reflects the heart" (_ _感激,_ Kangeki _, Lit.'Deep emotion')._ _Often, as per the Uchiha's so-called "Curse of Hatred", this emotion is a negative one, brought on by stress or loss. Fortunately, the emotion can also be positive, driven by a desire to protect or reunite with a loved one. That's what I did, and it worked just fine._

 _The Eyes of Misery grant the wielder two broad abilities: the "Eye of Insight" and the "Eye of Hypnotism". I'll leave those up to you to figure out. The Eyes of Misery can be evolved into the Eyes of Kaleidoscopic Emotion (Mangekyō Kangeki) by experiencing the trauma of loss, granting unique, user-specific techniques in addition to the Eyes' standard abilities, as well as sharpening eyesight to the point of being able to count the individual fibers on your clothes. This increases magic control to a ridiculous level, as being able to see everything you're doing wrong is incredibly helpful. Awakening the Mangekyō will automatically fully mature one's Kangeki if they aren't already._

 _Use of the Mangekyō causes blindness over time, but this can be negated by transplanting another pair of Mangekyō from a close genetic match, such as a sibling, to acquire Eyes of Eternal Kaleidoscopic Emotion (Eternal Mangekyō_ _Kangeki) that never loses their sight. This once again boosts eyesight, possibly granting telescopic vision and something like Lifesight. It combines both the design and techniques of both sets of eyes, and grants its' user the abilities stored in both Kangeki._

 _As this is a recreation, and not the original, I was unable to figure out how to evolve it into the Rinnegan. I refuse to call this the Sharingan because of that, since all it is is a pale imitation of the hax Uchiha version. However, because you are creating these eyes from scratch, it's possible to awaken one pair of eyes to the Mangekyō stage, and then immediately store said pair while you use the memory of the first trauma to unlock the second pair's Mangekyō. Thus, by combining the two using the Tetration method, one can achieve Eternal Mangekyō Kangeki at no additional cost. Plus, if one rewrites the genes of an existing set of eyes, one can make literally any set of Eyes compatible with the existing set. See the entry on 'Rewriting Genes' for more._

 _The thing is, this universe follows different mechanics than those of the Elemental Nations. This world, unlike the bullshit land of physics-defying ninjas, is based in reality and not fiction. As such, the eyes themselves have no powers. That would be silly. Instead, they merely allow for recording and direct amplification of existing abilities, as per the user's magic. It's rather like an extension to an existing framework. They gather a lot of mana while awakening each individual stage, and use that to form the beginnings of a technique. So don't be expecting any black flames of death if you're a Mind Mage, or any impossible illusions if you're an Elemental Mage. There are rules, and they must be followed._

 _No invincible giant armored skeletons, either. Believe me, I tried._

 _But be warned. I, myself, once bore these eyes. I awakened them to Mangekyō stage, and yet… I could feel my mind itself warping under the strain. Shifting, changing, becoming something it wasn't before. The Eyes of Misery grant photographic memory, yet forgetting is an essential part of coping with loss. Because, while a trauma may never completely fade, the pain will lessen. But for someone who can remember his loss as vividly on the 300th time as he did the first, such essential aspects of coping would not apply. I have come to terms with my losses, yet the eyes would not allow me to forget them, driving me to the brink of despair._

 _And so, I removed them, and healed back my original pair of eyes. (Because magic.) At the end of this Entry, you will find the exact instructions required to shift your body's very genes to allow for this mystical Dōjutsu, along with the gem storing my former eyes in stasis. If you believe yourself to be able to bear their weight, you may use them as you will. The gem is set to perform the Tetration and gene altering process automatically, provided you place the gem on your forehead and pour mana into it._

 _Quick, easy, and blood-free. No eye surgery required. You're welcome._

 _Now don't blow us all to hell._

 _And, ah, side note, the eyes glow in the dark. Scared the shit out of a passing maid. Trisha, I think her name is. Whatever._

I stared in shock. _'The Author is fucking insane. What if a psychopath got their hands on this Book? They could do some serious damage with these things.'_ I glanced down at the bottom of the page, only to find a semi-spherical gem inscribed with hundreds of tiny runes.

 _'But still… this entire thing seems like a bad idea. I mean, eyes that require you to commit increasingly terrible sins in order to power them up? To get them to their highest stage, you'd have to kill both your best friend and your blood brother in cold blood. A blood brother that has also murdered_ his _best friend in cold blood. I get that the Author offered a shortcut that doesn't require killing your siblings, but it's still a viable option to go the genocide route. And that's more than enough to convince me that these things are the ultimate 'power from evil' that stories tell of.'_

I hesitated, glancing over the spell that would give me something that the Author, the crazy genius himself, decided wasn't worth it. I looked up at Von, who was yawning and stretching. "Hey… Von?"

He turned, looking slightly taken aback by my conflicted expression. "Er… what do you need, kid?" He asked hesitantly.

I sighed, rubbing a thumb over the gem. "If you had had a chance… if there was something you could do that would give you everything you ever wanted, but came at an incredible cost, would you do it?"

He blinked. "…Say again?"

"I could get my eyes back." I told him seriously. "I could get revenge on Smalls. I could be _powerful_ , Von. Real power, not that fake shit they try to sell out of a bottle."

Von nodded slowly, taking a deep breath. "That sounds… dangerous, kid. Really dangerous. You sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"

I laughed sardonically. "If nothing else, the Author is meticulous when he tells you the cost, even when the directions themselves are clear as mud. Hell, sometimes he outright tells you not to do something if you want to live. I know what to do, and what it'll cost me. I want to know if I _should_."

Von sighed, closing his eyes. We sat in silence for a while, with only the soft crackle of flames filling the void. "…I want to say that you should take your time and think about it." He finally said, shaking his head. "But I know from experience that if you do that, you never get what you need to do done. And right now, I can tell that you need some advice. So I'll say this."

He stood, walking over and sitting on the couch next to me. "Kid, in all the time I've known you, you've never been the silent avenger. You're an honest person, if a bit odd. Most people aren't most comfortable crafting weapons or devising a battle plan." He chuckled. "The way you move, the way you talk, even the way you look at people shows your quirks. You're curious, incisive, and deeply distrustful of other people. Hell, I don't even know your real name!"

He glanced over at me, sighing. "…I won't stop you if you decide to do whatever you're planning. I have no place telling you what to do. But take it from me, you need something to gather power _for_ , otherwise you'll burn out one day. Vengeance in fine, hell, it's even cathartic. But don't make it your reason for existing, 'cause once you've killed everyone that's ever done you wrong, one of two things will happen. Either you'll realize how empty your life really is, or you'll start making up reasons to take revenge on someone."

I nodded tiredly. "I get it, no blood avengal crusades. But, if I figured out what to do with that kind of power…"

He chuckled, patting me on the shoulder and rising to his feet. "Well, then. I suppose you're about to get one hell of a power boost, aren't you?"

I smiled shakily. "Sure."

He nodded once, and turned to leave me to my own devices.

I shut the Book, rubbing my eyes and sighing. This decision is a bit above my pay grade, as far as powers go. The future is no help either, too indistinct due to my indecision. I hesitated, then tapped lightly on the Book's cover. "You there, girl?" I asked softly.

The pages fluttered slightly, and the Book shifted on my lap.

I cracked a small smile. "Any ideas?" I asked drily. "Cause I'm stuck."

The Book came to life, opening and flipping its' pages to a seemingly random array of scribbles. I blinked, squinting, and leaned in. Still scribbles. I groaned, rubbing my eyes. _'Right. Probably needs some kind of cipher or something. Damn Author.'_ I paused. _'Unless…'_

I squinted once more, this time calling up my magic and embracing the Dream. I nudged aside the millions of futures, instead simply channeling my mind through the world around me, opening my mind's eye to the universe itself. The scribbles slowly shifted, becoming legible text.

 ** _Section X_**

 _The Eyes of Misery: Warnings and Usage_

I blinked. "Oh. I didn't know there was a Section like this."

The Book fluttered smugly.

I began to read the Author's spidery scrawl, blocking out all else.

 _The Eyes of Misery are, above all else, a tool. They will never force you to do anything, merely give you the opportunity. However, they are also a deadly weapon, designed to inflict pain the likes of which this world does not know. All things have their cost, and the Eyes are no different._

 _For every loss you suffer, they grow stronger. For every Sin you commit, they lose more of their weaknesses. But the price of the Eyes is both steep and permanent, preventing you from forgetting or changing the events that changed them. Even should you unlock the Mangekyo, the Eyes will never give back what you have sacrificed. Should you gain a time-based technique, you will never be able to use it to resurrect the dead. Should you gain a space-based technique, you will never be able to use it when you need it most. All illusions granted through the Eyes will only bring pain, and all attacks will be designed to give the least amount of survivability possible while inflicting the greatest amount of agony to the victim._

 _Thus are the Eyes of Misery._

 _The World demands a Balance—for every great thing, there must be a price of equal value. As I recreated these Eyes, I learned the truly fearsome costs of using them. To operate a single Eye for a second, it would require the equivalent of three human souls to be sacrificed. In order to mitigate those costs, I used the System to bear part of the load. The Eyes are powered by emotions, much as the Devils draw power from their Sins. But, to achieve those emotions, they prevent you from ever forgetting anything—even incredible traumas. In fact, that sudden influx of emotion is what grants them the power to self-evolve._

 _So, know this: there is no way to use the Eyes without first suffering greatly. The Eyes themselves will warp fate to demand it.  
_

 _You have been warned._

I closed my eyes. My slowly worsening eyes. My human eyes.

 _'Am I willing to sacrifice my own emotions, to lose the ability to forget, if it's to get my sight back?'_

I took a deep breath, slowing my thoughts and trying to think logically. _'All right, so the Author himself said that the Eyes are only a tool, and can't_ make _me do anything. He also said that they can be activated using positive emotions, too. My guess is that negative emotions are just easier to come by. And the sudden shock of seeing your best friend die is feeding them enough emotion to evolve. So, logically, I just have to slowly gather positive emotions, and eventually I'll achieve the same effect as it would otherwise.'_

I nodded once. _'I'll do it. My Sight effects more than just me, now. It's also carrying Carn and Kuroka's well-being, as well. And if I don't, then one day, I'll miss something, and we'll all die.'_

"All right, girl." I whispered. "Take me to the instructions."

As the pages flipped, I checked through the futures once more. Now that I had made my choice, the possibilities were clearer. Fortunately, none of them seemed to involve my death, though a few resulted in my blindness, probably due to a mistake I made with the spell.

I glanced down at the Entry, my eyes flicking over to the end of the explanation, which held the odd gem that stored the Author's eyes. I flipped the page, and was immediately assaulted by a mess of diagrams, words, and blueprints that made no sense to the casual observer. I laughed softly to myself. "I was wondering where the madness was. The Author seemed rather tame during the explanation."

Well, time to get to work decoding this mess.

Time for a little trick I learned to do with my Sight.

* * *

I ended up spending six hours decoding the damn thing, and another one just making sure I knew everything I possibly could about its' design, just in case. Everything had to be _completely perfect_ , or something would go wrong. Of course, the Author is a right paranoid bastard, and over half of the spell's matrix is dedicated solely to safety. I guess he knew better than to mess with his own genetics without a shitload of safety spells to make sure he didn't irreversibly turn himself into a dolphin or something.

I finally shut the Book, and sighed.

Then I opened my eyes in the present.

Heh.

I had learned long ago that using Thought Acceleration in tandem with my Sight allowed me to do hours' worth of studying without moving a muscle. Those seven hours had been less than a second in the real world, and I didn't even have to open the Book. Of course, I still felt mental fatigue as if I had just decoded an ungodly complex tetrahedral diagram for seven hours straight, but there are flaws in any technique.

I closed my eyes, gathering my mana, and began the spell. I trust Von to know not to disturb me when my eyes are closed like this, so I should be fine. Now, all I have to do to begin is put this strand here, and hold this piece here, then pull this segment out…

The procedure began with a soft hum of magic, and I immediately felt my eyes begin to burn as if they had been dipped in acid. I could _feel_ them dissolving, reconstructing themselves at the same rate they collapsed. I alternated using my Sight and brief applications of mana in order to keep the spell stable. And let me just say, being able to see exactly what would keep me from painful burning death was simultaneously the largest comfort and worst distraction imaginable.

Finally, I felt the spell beginning its' last stages. My eyelids flickered as the foreign sensation of eyes forming beneath them began to itch against their sensitive skin. My sockets themselves itched like hell, making me twitch uncomfortably. A minute later, the spell finished its' course, and the drain on my mana ceased. As the itching of new cells growing finally went away, I opened my new eyes for the first time.

I was immediately thankful that Von's smithy is a dark room. Holy _shit_ , that hurt. OW. As my eyes adjusted, I was taken aback by the clarity with which I could see my surroundings. The words on the cover of the Book, which I had previously needed to squint to make out, were suddenly crisp and clean. All traces of blurriness were gone from the world around me, making me smile. _Victory_.

Then, hesitantly, I fed a stream of mana into the eyes.

It was like pouring _boiling lead_ down my optic nerves. I would have debated whether this was better or worse than the acid feeling of before, but I was in too much pain to form conscious thought. I felt my panic rise as my hands rose to my face and I felt liquid seeping from my closed lids, blood if I didn't miss my guess. I felt extreme fear, somehow terrified that I had messed up somehow, and now I was paying the price. I could feel tendrils of my own magic digging into my mind, searching for something, not caring of the pain it caused me as it did. It seemed to find what it was looking for, and it dislodged it with a jerk. Instantly, the pain stopped. I was suddenly aware of my surroundings once more, and I could feel a pair of strong arms on my shoulders and a loud voice shouting.

Confused, I opened my eyes to see Von's blocky mug staring back at me. He seemed relieved, and began to speak once more. "You scared me there, kid, what with all the screaming…" He trailed off, seeming to notice my new eyes for the first time. "Uh… kid? You've got something in your eye, there. Like, a comma thing."

I blinked. "Really?" I thought back to the Book's diagrams. "How many?"

"Two per eye." He replied after a brief check. "Is that supposed to happen?"

I shrugged. "I think so."

He sighed, letting go of my shoulders and rising to his feet. "Well, whatever it was, be more careful next time. You've got a whole life ahead of you, so don't waste it on stupid shit."

I nodded absently. There was something… odd about the room, now that I was looking at it through the eyes. _My_ eyes. It seemed… darker, somehow. It had a reddish tint to it that didn't exist before. The room itself seemed nastier, the shadows longer and more menacing. I stumbled to my feet in shock. "U-uh, I'm going to go take a breath of fresh air."

Von nodded absently. "Sure thing. Probably a good idea after all that."

I made my way to the door, pushing it open with a hard shove. Exiting the small alley leading to the shop's door, I got my first look at Naskapi.

For a moment I was frozen into immobility by the sheer grandeur of the cosmic vision that stretched out around me, my Sight working together with my new eyes in ways I hadn't thought possible. I floated at the edge of a universe, an ocean of blue and green seals that sang of worlds and stars and stranger things I had no names for. Beyond was a place where swirling abstract shapes too vast to see in their entirety danced forever through the void, in a symphony too great for any mortal mind to contain.

I shut my mental eye, disconnecting my magic from the universe and looking only with my physical eyes this time. I glanced at a passing woman, seeing the flickers of magic present in everything, as well as the soul within her chest. But there were swirls of darkness surrounding her in a dense cloud, touching her deeply, spreading black stains through her soul like ink poured into water.

I thought for a moment that it was part of her, and indeed much of the darkness did seem to be. But more of it seemed connected to some other source, something I couldn't quite make out. I strained to discern the strands that drifted off into the surroundings, thinning into diaphanous red streamers of barely-visible shadow that vanished into thin air.

Or did they?

Was it my imagination, or was the world itself a tad darker than I remembered? Each shadow a bit too dark, having a few too many limbs? I frowned in concentration as I shifted the layers of this odd new perception, trying to make sense of it. There was something in the air, just as there was in Von's smithy. A cloud of subtle influence that permeated everything around me, brushing against people and inanimate objects alike, lengthening their shadows and casting a dark influence on them. Some sort of spell, perhaps?

Whatever the shadow was, it extended all through the streets of Naskapi. I was sure now that it was made up of some sort of evil magic, but the matrices that would have defined a normal spell's function seemed to be completely missing. It was just a cloud of formless evil.

I scaled a nearby ladder, bolted into the wall, that allowed one access to the next-door roof. Sure enough, the shadow extended through all the streets and towers I could see from my position, but on this larger scale it didn't seem quite as uniform. There still weren't any matrices, but some areas seemed just slightly thinner or denser than others.

Then I looked up, and gasped.

The cloud extended across the whole sky, from horizon to horizon, lending the whole world a faint tinge of red. Above me there was one of the parts of the matrix that I'd expected, its' nebulous machinations stretching halfway across the sky. Other matrices peeked over the horizon on all sides, so huge they were only partly visible from here. But what little my new eyes allowed me to read of this vast array was disturbing enough.

… _every grudge formed into an eternal hatred, every good deed punished with suffering and loss, every innocent soul forced to choose between evils, every child forced to grow beyond their years…_

Oh, God. What _is_ that?

I stumbled back in shock, falling back onto my rear as I attempted to look further. Turning in place, I whirled to see behind me. This part of the matrix looked similar, but different.

… _for every crossroad of Time, the best choices shall be hidden, while that which leads to ruin goes unnoticed, burning the past to make way for the future…_

"My god," I breathed, bile rising to my throat. "It's everywhere."

I rose to my feet, turning my spinning red eyes on the city once more. Now that I could see it, I watched as the cloud subtly twisted around each person, twitching slightly whenever they made a choice. A choice, I suspected, that would never be the right one.

But not all of the residents were affected. In fact, most weren't. The ones who weren't affected were instead bolstered by the nebulous mass, great globs of reddish black fastened to their backs like wings.

 _Devils_.

I blinked, forcing myself to calm down. It took a few moments, but I managed it. _'Wait, if it's helping the Devils, then that means… damn. Well, I suppose this really is Hell. No wonder the beings of Sin and debauchery look right at home. They_ are _home. It's just the uncorrupted souls that are being twisted.'_

I glanced down at my own form, noticing for the first time a lack of any clouds around me. My soul shone bright and pure to my own eyes, untouched by the mass of malintent. It glimmered softly, an irreplaceable gem of enormous value. As I watched, it swelled slightly, another facet appearing on its' surface.

 _'It's not breaking.'_ I realized in shock. _'It's_ growing _. But how? What could I possibly have that no one… else… does…'_ I pulled out my little Book, suspicion brewing in my mind. Sure enough, small tendrils of my soul stretched into its' core, leading out the other side as stronger, thicker threads.

"What are you doing?" I whispered in shock. "You're making it stronger. How?"

There was no response, and no possible future led to one. I gave up that line of questioning for now, instead electing to climb off the roof and return to Von's. Shutting the door behind me, I squeezed my eyes shut and cut the power to them. Useful though they may be, I think I'll hold off on testing them for a bit.

"Oh, good." Von called. "I was getting worried. If you don't get ready soon, you're going to miss the paper delivery."

I frowned. Paper delivery? What paper… oh. My job. A Revere. I found myself laughing softly at the sheer absurdity of the thought. Even after giving myself new eyes and learning of an absurd fate-altering spell covering all of Hell, I still had to go to work.

I shook my head, still chuckling as I walked over to my gear and began to get dressed. A quick check told me that there was a storm in a half an hour or so, so I definitely need these.

 _'So, what's my schedule today?'_ I wondered, lacing my boots. _'Paper deliveries have been less and less useful lately, so the big gangs are less and less interested in Reveres. Shark's a smart man, and knows the value in cornering the information market, so we should be safe for a while still, but that doesn't help daily work any. We should be done sorting the new papers by noon, so I have a full day ahead of me. What then?'_

I considered the quandary, absently waving farewell to Von on my way out. I quietly marveled at the crisp lines all around me, the blurriness of my previous sight no longer present. Flicking on my Sight, I went on autopilot as I traversed the familiar path to the recycling plant. _'The Book's description of the Eye of Insight said something about being able to copy movements or spells by watching the way the mana in the air flows, or the way their magic rushes through their body. I assume from the warnings that the memorization is really just the eyes storing the data in the same place it stores the memories they draw emotion from. So I'm practically guaranteed infinite spammable spells, if only I can figure out how to bypass the 'one magic per mage' rule.'_

I ducked a swinging beam as I took a shortcut through a construction site. Being a Diviner has its' perks. _'So, training with Carn to see if I can copy Elemental magic, then dropping by to visit Kuroka? Who knows, maybe Senjutsu doesn't count as 'magic'.'_

I sighed, pulling out my lenses and wrapping my scarf around my face. _'Well, first I have to sort papers. One step at a time.'_

The sirens began to sound around me, and people scrambled for cover as the telltale screech of wind that heralded the Ash began to wail through the streets.

I idly began planning what to have for dinner. Pizza, maybe?

* * *

Carn blinked. "Ye want me te' do what?"

My eye twitched. "I just explained the entire thing. I'm not doing it again."

He just looked even more confused. "An'… what was 'at explanation, again?" He asked weakly.

I groaned. "I have new eyes that let me copy shit. I want you to use your Earth magic so I can see if I can copy it."

He nodded slowly. "Righ'… but, what if—"

"Just do it." I snapped.

He shrugged. "Arright, but don't tell me I dint warn ye'."

He turned, concentrating, and stomped his bare foot into the ground. _Hard_. I watched in fascination as his magic seemed to pulse out of him, shifting the earth around him in concentric circles. The ground beneath his foot cratered, and the ground itself _rippled_ , as if it were water being disturbed by a pebble. A moment later, he stopped, but I had what I needed. He glanced back at me. "Is 'at good?" He asked, stepping out of his crater.

I nodded, trying to focus on the way he had sculped the mana around him, before replicating the way he stomped the ground.

Nothing.

I sighed, ignoring my now aching ankle. I already knew it wouldn't work, none of the futures I could see involved me doing anything but smashing the bones of my foot, but I had to try. After all, I don't know the limitations of my Sight when it comes to the Eyes of Misery. For all I know, it's impossible to copy a technique without watching it with my own eyes.

…Though, I have to wonder, would I be more annoyed if I could use the Eyes through a Path-Walk, or if I couldn't. After all, copying an opponent's entire moveset in all possible futures is a bit over-the-top.

 _'Well, might as well test it.'_ I decided, closing my eyes and opening my mind's eye.

In my mind, I said my farewells to Carn, and went to visit Kuroka's house. I skimmed the conversation part, instead simply traveling a Path in which she demonstrated a basic Touki punch without asking too many questions. My eyes spun, and I copied the way she drew in mana to perform the technique. Once I had copied it to my satisfaction, I opened my eyes in the real world and tried to replicate it.

Only… I _couldn't_. It was like trying to catch fog, or outrace lightning. It was simply something out of my grasp, something I suspected was a result of using the Eyes rather than any lack of skill on my part.

 _'Right… so, copying future techniques won't work. Damn.'_ I sighed, rubbing my eyes. _'Well, going by my previous theory, it stores techniques the same way it does emotion, so if I haven't actually experienced the emotion, it won't store the technique.'_

I glanced up at Carn, who was by now used to my random spacing off. He was beginning his daily training regimen, something I had gotten him into in order to help him get better at his magic. "Sorry, brother, I have to go. Need me to do anything for you in the west side of town?"

He paused, several large rocks hoovering midair. "Nah. I'll be fine." His face turned mischievous. "Just say hello to yer' lass for me."

I rolled my eyes. "Kuroka's a friend, brother. Nothing more."

"Suuuure." He drawled. "Keep tellin' yerself 'at."

I shook my head, turning and leaving my chuckling friend behind.

Half an hour and several dozen dingy alleyways later, and I was at the door to Kuroka's modest home. I knocked softly at the door, and was answered by a tiny, white-haired girl with golden eyes. She looked up at me with wide eyes. "You're nee-sama's boyfriend, aren't you?" She asked innocently.

I chuckled. "No, I'm not. I'm just the local smith. Besides, we're too young to date."

She frowned, ears twitching. "But Kaa-san said…" She trailed off, but shook her head. "Never mind. Nee-sama is upstairs."

I nodded, brushing past her as I headed to the staircase. I knocked once on her bedroom door, waiting politely before opening it. Kuroka looked up from a worn book, hazel eyes blinking in surprise as she saw me. "Dee?"

I nodded once, shutting the door behind me and sitting in a rickety chair before she could even offer it to me.

She scowled, standing and swatting me upside the head with her book. "Damn it, I told you to stop doing that!" She huffed, crossing her arms. "It's annoying!"

I shrugged. "Well, it saved you a minute of awkward silence."

She rolled her eyes. "So? It's not a conversation if only one of us is speaking. Interaction, Dee. Learn it."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, what was that?" I asked, smirking. "Did _you_ just lecture me on human interaction, miss bookworm?"

She flushed. "S-shut up! I can socialize, I just… choose not to."

"Riiight." I drawled, mimicking Carn. He just has this _way_ of annoying the hell out of whoever hears him. Very useful for getting under people's skin.

She huffed, crossing her arms. "Well, I doubt you just came over to talk, so tell me what you want."

I shrugged. "Actually, I did just come over to talk, really. Maybe get you to show me a Touki strike, but otherwise nothing."

She blinked. "R-really?" Her voice came out as a squeak, and her face flushed slightly. "That never happened." She grumbled, clearing her throat.

I tilted my head. "What never happened?"

"Exactly."

 _'Oookay, then.'_

She smiled, standing and gathering natural energy. "A Touki strike, you said?" She blurred into motion, the air rippling around her fist as she moved.

My eyes watched every detail, noting every little motion she made… but nothing clicked.

"Well, that was a bust." I grumbled, cutting the power to my eyes.

She blinked in shock, finally noticing something was amiss. "Dee? What did you just do with your eyes?"

I smiled. "Well, you see, I _may_ have found a way to get around my failing eyesight."

"By using some kind of forbidden spell?" She asked, giving me her full attention. "Because, I swear, if you blow your own head off with some—"

"Not forbidden." I cut in, amused. "Just difficult. I gave myself new eyes."

"…Really. New eyes. Exactly when you're about to go blind. How _fucking_ convenient." Sarcasm dripped from her words.

I shrugged. "Well, it's more like an even trade-off really. Like a healing spell on an open wound. It hurt like hell to get the damn things, and if the Author is correct—"

"Which he always is." Kuroka interrupted, giving me an irritated look. "Whether or not you listen to him is another problem."

I nodded, continuing regardless. "—Then these eyes might also go blind if I over-use their powers. Something about Mangeckos?" I frowned, trying to recall the unfamiliar word. "Mangyeko? Mangekyō? Something like that. They evolve by feeding off the emotions I experience, and once I get them far enough, they change into a more powerful version that gives me superpowers but causes blindness over time. I don't really know more than that."

She nodded slowly, still looking into my red eyes. "What are the three comma things?" She asked, pointing.

I blinked. "Three? Must've evolved when I saw… never mind. Anyway, they're tomoe. One is the basic form, two is advanced, and three is mastered. I guess they evolved without me noticing. Are they both at three?"

She shook her head. "One is two, the other three. What does that mean?"

I shrugged. "It must be just partly evolved or something. The Author wasn't very descriptive on that part. There's something called the 'Eye of Insight' and something called the 'Eye of Hypnotism', but aside from brief descriptions of both that I found on the bottom of the page, I have no idea what they do."

She sighed. "Well, just be careful then. Mystic Eyes are always difficult, and I doubt yours are any different."

My lips twitched in dry humor as I forcefully suppressed my memory of literally seeing Hell. "Don't I know it."

There was a lull in conversation as we both sat in silence. It wasn't awkward, more companionable than anything. I knew better than to speak at the moment, so I just allowed Kuroka to absorb the information I just gave her. When I felt she was ready, I opened my mouth once more.

"So, how's it been around here?" I asked, glancing ahead. Nine out of ten times she lied and said something random, but in the last one…

She hesitated and opened her mouth, but I stopped her before she could answer. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

She huffed, glaring at me. "Well, since you had to go and say _that_ …" She grumbled.

I smirked. "Oh, hush. You know you love me."

She rolled her eyes, but the mirth drained from her face. "So… I have a bit of a problem."

I tilted my head, but said nothing. She would tell me, or she wouldn't. It was out of my hands now.

"See, the deadbeat keeps pissing away our money, and Mom is already working as much as she can." She began, twisting a lock of hair between her fingers. "So I decided to get a job. When I started looking… I ran into this really odd man who turned out to be the City Lord."

I tensed. I did _not_ like how this was going. "Please tell me you didn't give him what he wanted."

She gave me a glare, and I shut up. "He noticed I was a Nekoshou with some training in the Sage Arts, so he offered me a place as his )Bishop(. It had an excellent salary, and all I had to do was cooperate with his study of Senjutsu. He was very polite, smiled very kindly, and stunk of malintent so badly that I almost choked. I told him I'd think about it, and he left me alone."

I frowned. "Well, if you know he's bed news, then why are you bringing it up?"

She hesitated, the future changing several times as she debated. "I think… I think I'm going to take him up on the job."

A deep breath. Two. Three. "I really don't think it's a good idea."

She tilted her head. "But do I survive it?"

I hesitated. "…In most cases, yes. But beyond that, it's fuzzy. Just because you're alive doesn't mean you're safe."

She gave me a wan smile. "When have I ever been safe?"

I fell silent, observing her. She seemed pretty certain about this, and I'd really rather not fight over it. Kuroka's a smart girl, and if she's telling me what she's going to do rather than asking, then she already thought it over on her own. "This is a terrible idea." I finally told her, resigned.

She gave me an irritated look. "You lost the right to tell me that after you fucking _grew new eyeballs_ rather than _buying glasses_."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you kidding me? Glasses would have to be replaced every week at the rate my eyes were going."

She snorted. "Then don't use the fucking CLEARSIGHT!"

We exchanged death glares for a few minutes, before we both began to laugh. The sound echoed loudly in the tiny room, but neither of us minded. We were too busy plotting revenge. Laughter may be the best medicine, but vengeance is more fun in the long run.

Gotta love friendship, right?

* * *

Thoughts wandering as I flipped absently through the Book, my Sight picked up yet another bad route for Kuroka. I grimaced, trying to distract myself. She'd made her choice, and I'm not about to tell her she's wrong. I already warned her, so the rest is in her hands.

I slammed the Book shut with a frustrated groan. This was going _nowhere._ By trying not to think about Kuroka, I was literally lighting a neon sign for my Sight to start looking for her. Divination may be _extremely_ useful, but it's really damn annoying at times.

Time for another distraction.

My gaze wandered around Von's smithy, nothing seeming to jump out at me. I already swept yesterday, and the clock on the mantle was well-dusted. I could do a load of laundry, but there wouldn't be too much to do. Groceries were well-stocked, and the wood box was overflowing.

I groaned, slumping in the sofa once more. _'Damn chores are never done when I don't want them, but done for the next week whenever I'm bored. If I didn't know for a fact that the Author is a crackpot, I'd wonder if he did a study on it.'_ I sighed, filing the thought for later as I noticed Von. I knew he was coming home soon, hence why I was wondering about chores, but it wasn't until just now that he finished chatting with a friendly client that was passing by the alley when they noticed each other.

"Hey, Von." I called.

He raised an eyebrow, dropping a bag to the ground with a loud _clank_. "You sound bored already. Was I gone for that long?"

I snorted. "Nah, just fifteen minutes. I was just trying to distract myself, and didn't have anything to do."

He chuckled, pulling an iron ingot out of the cloth bag. "Well, you are in a forge. And in my experience, there's nothing better than a good blade to keep your mind off things."

I grimaced. "Von, I told you. My skill level stopped going up months ago. I just… hit a wall, or something."

He shrugged. "I know, kid, and I get it. But maybe watching me for a bit can teach you a thing or two that you're missing. It's at least worth a shot. That girl of yours is practically in love with that knife you gave her, so you're obviously not useless at smithing." He gave me a thumbs-up and a craggy grin. "Come on, I'm not known as a legendary blacksmith for nothing. Give it a shot, yeah?"

I was torn between griping about how Kuroka wasn't 'my girl' and wondering how the hell _watching_ could help me, when an idea sparked. The Book _did_ day that these eyes could copy movements, spells, and techniques… so why not all three at once?

I returned his smile, anticipation building. "Actually, Von, I think I'll take you up on that…"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hello, all, and welcome to my second story! It's a bit rough around the edges, still, but it's getting there. Yes, this story takes place in the same world as UtV, but it starts in a different time period. You've probably already guessed who the Author is, but Dee won't be learning that for quite some time. The Sharingan knockoff is, admittedly, a knockoff, but I really can't see Millicas _not_ creating knockoffs of the Sharingan, Byakugan, etc. They're OP hax, and he already stole most of the OP hax techniques from that franchise. Why not do the bloodlines, too?**

 **The reason Millicas doesn't use them… well. Let's just say that DxD mechanics work oddly with the eyes to literally warp fate so the person using the Sharingan gets dealt the worst possible hand every time. Plus, he's seen more than his fair share of shit he wants to forget from his time between dimensions, so… yeah. Eldritch beings are best left forgotten, and he's already unstable enough without needing something guaranteed to make you go insane.  
**

 **Considering the frankly ridiculous power scaling of the DxD-verse, the Sharingan is about the only thing that humans can get to even the balance. Not everyone has a Sacred Gear, after all.**

 **REVIEWS:**

 **guest:**

 **…He's not a girl. Where did you get that from? He's pretty and has long hair, yes, but he still has a dick. Bishonen, not girl.**

 **Avalanche-dragoon:**

 **Yes, yes, and _hell_ yes.**

 **Yukilumi:**

 **Fair warning, this MC is going to be doing a LOT of stupid shit. He's an eight-year-old with a magic book trying to be cool. His choices are hardly going to be mature or rational, he just tries to convince himself that they are. Yes, he's smart, and yes, he's powerful, but his friends are going to have to keep him in line to make sure he doesn't do more stupid shit. Like, you know, trying things with a 90% mortality rate, or things that come with a warning label that says 'feeds on pain and misery'.  
**


	4. Everything Goes Wrong

**Chapter 3:** **Everything Goes Wrong**

* * *

"Kuroka." A voice called, startling me out of my thoughts.

I glanced up, flinching at my )King's( irate expression. "S-sorry, sir."

He sighed, waving me off and turning back to his lab table. "It's fine, dearie. Just don't get distracted again. This is valuable research, with potentially limitless value."

I forced a smile, ignoring how slimy the word 'dearie' sounded. While he may be a condescending asshat, Lord Vassago is extremely intelligent. Not quite on the same level as Dee, but still smart enough to demand my respect.

"But I must ask… can you truly not use your power instinctually?"

…Of course, even that respect has its' limits. I took a deep breath. "Sir, it's dangerous for any Nekoshou to even _use_ Senjutsu. Using it instinctually isn't possible, because the same instincts that would let us do that are too busy warning us _against_ doing it. There's a reason that we need training in order to use Chakra."

"So no Nekomata can do it?" He asked, sounding disappointed.

I frowned. Was he hoping for a different answer than the one I usually gave? "Not unless they're either too young to understand what they're doing or too old to remember."

He nodded, already knowing the answer… but paused, as if a thought had occurred. "Come to think of it… doesn't your little sister know Senjutsu?"

I froze. "S-sir?"

He shook his head. "Worry not, little cat. I won't touch your kin. It's simply… insurance, shall we say."

I knew exactly what was being 'insured'. My usefulness. He was warning me, in his own twisted way, that if I couldn't do what he wanted to, he would use my sister instead. A threat as plain as day.

I fucking _hate_ being threatened.

"Of course, sir." I murmured, shoving my irritation down.

He smiled. "Chin up, dearie. Why don't you run along, now? Your time is almost up, so why don't you go home early?"

I forced another smile. "Thank you, sir. I'll see you tomorrow."

He turned back to his lab table, waving me off. I turned, making my quiet escape from the castle.

 _'Go home? No way in hell. There's only one place I'm going, evil bastard. Only one person smart enough to teach me how to give you the kick in the balls you deserve.'_

* * *

 **I** blinked, staring at Carn. "You want to _what_?"

He shrugged. "Well, ye' know 'at deliverin' ain't really a _job_ anymore, so I wanned ta' try somethin' else."

"The Mines, Carn?" I asked incredulously. "I get that you've always planned on going there, but those Mines are death traps! If we disappear, no one will even look for us."

He snorted. "We'll be fine. Ye've got yer fancy future powers, so ye' can just see ahead for any cave-ins. And with my Earth magic, we 'kin find all the best shit 'ere is!"

I blinked once more. That… wasn't actually a bad plan. Carn could easily find pockets of what he called 'odd rocks', which were really just metals. If we went deep into the Mines, we could easily pull out huge masses of different ores without even chipping a single rock. Low effort, high reward. The best kind of job. But still… "My magic maps probabilities." I pointed out. "Not definite futures. And those mines are so deadly that not even veteran miners can predict when the ceilings or walls will give. We're literally in _hell_ , brother, and it isn't exactly friendly to folks like us."

A fact that I know all too well. Every time I activate the Eyes of Misery, the true nature of the world around us is blindingly clear. It's _alive_ , this city. And it's not even _remotely_ friendly. I've seen good men warped by the monstrous fate-altering magic woven through the air itself, drowning their problems in drinks and falling to the lure of drugs. This city is _literally_ hell. And we're living in it. For two humans to walk into the belly of the beast? That's practically _asking_ to get our asses chewed up by some hideous monster.

Carn sighed, sticking a hand in his pocket. "Arright, it's okay. Ye' don't have 'te come inside if ye' don't want to. Just tell me where to go in te get the biggest haul."

I hesitated, glancing ahead. From here, it seemed fairly safe to enter the Mines, so long as we evaded the more well-known sink zones. But should I really let my best friend walk in there alone? I weighed the options, sighed, and rose to my feet. "No, I'll go with you."

His eyes lit up. "Really?"

I nodded wearily. "Against my better judgement, yes. But make sure to bring one of those Gem Artifacts that store things—if everything goes well, we can easily walk away with a shitload of valuable metals." I paused, leveling him with an even glare. "But for the love of God, don't pack our food in there. You know what those things do to organic matter."

He coughed, looking embarrassed. "Righ'. Well, see ye' in an hour, 'en."

I frowned, glancing ahead once more. "Make that two. There' an Ash storm coming in forty-some minutes, and I'd rather not get caught in it. Winter is coming, and the Ash will dissolve anything besides the thin clothes we wore as Reveres. If we have to walk through an Ash storm with those things, we'll freeze our asses off."

Carn looked relieved. "Ah, thanks. Woulda been a pain ta find 'at out meself."

I shooed him away. "Well, go on then. I've got another guest coming soon."

He grinned. "Oh? 'is 'guest' wouldn' happen ta be a certain raven-'aired beau'y, would it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Go on, gold digger. I'll be at the entrance of the Mines in two hours."

Snickering to himself, Carn climbed over the edge of the paper bin. I heard the heavy door of the plant shut with a hollow _clang_ , echoing through the quiet building.

I glanced down at the colossal mound of unsorted papers I stood on, sighing. I had a while before Kuroka arrived, and even though I knew exactly where the best papers were thanks to my Sight, I seriously lacked any motivation to hunt through the thick reams to find the best bits. Even Wolf was starting to turn away from the business, and Shark had left a month back. Carn was right, this wasn't really even a job anymore. Hence why I had agreed so readily when he offered his get-rich-quick scheme.

I headed over to the edge of the half-empty canister, vaulting over the side and climbing down the ladder embedded in the side. I glanced around the quiet recycling plant, sighing once more. I said a quiet goodbye to my constant companion of the years, and slipped out the door.

I waited outside the door for a few seconds, before starting my journey back to Von's smithy. Weaving between alleys, dodging sketchy gangs, ignoring groups of druggies armed with their needles and poison of choice. Nothing that Naskapi didn't breed en masse. I finally reached the door of _the Iron Strike_ and entered without knocking. Von wasn't here, I already knew that. At this time of day, he's asleep in his upstairs loft.

I tossed my stuff on the couch and began silently gathering supplies for a day in the Mines. The Book had provided me with descriptions of every legendary weapon in history, and I took great pleasure in recreating each one. My first additions to the Book were the blueprints, creator's notes written in the same way the Author wrote his. Everything from Rule Breaker to Caladbolg had been meticulously designed and implemented, my heart and soul poured into every blade. I told Von that it was my final project, the assignment every apprentice took on that determined whether or not they 'graduated'. He didn't ask questions, wordlessly supplying me with metals and supplies for my 'project'.

And so, I slowly made my way through half the blades in the Book. I stored each one in a Gem Artifact, a gem small enough to fit inside my pocket that housed a space the size of an armory. If all went well today, I would have the materials I needed to work on the more exotic and powerful of the weapons, such as Caliburn and Caladbolg II.

I can't wait until I can snipe people like that 'Archer' guy could. Using my Sight to aim a magical nuke? Hell. Yes.

I set aside my pyro tendencies for the moment, tucking the Gem Artifact in my pocket. It's more of a comfort thing than anything, seeing as most of the swords powerful enough to match a cave-in would bring the entire mine down on our heads, but I figured it was better than nothing. I grabbed my secondary weapon, a matte black, western-style straight bow with a simple design that was constructed to be resistant enough to fire Noble Phantasms. I only have a few 'arrows' made, seeing as a single one takes several hours to make. I can't figure out for the life of me how this 'Archer' managed to cope with the sheer mana cost of making these. I easily doubled my pool by constantly making the damn things, and what little the Book said about him was that he was a third-rate mage.

Am I missing something?

I was jerked from my thoughts as I heard a sudden knocking at my door. Sure, I knew she was coming, but even Diviners can get distracted.

I strode over, opening the door without hesitation. Kuroka stood on the other side, eyes glowing softly. I sighed. "Go on, you know you want to."

She snorted. "I wouldn't talk to you otherwise. Now." Her eyes shone brilliantly as she drew on the energy around us. "Are we in the future right now?"

I raised an eyebrow. "No, we're not. And could you be a little less violent next time? Every time you shred my face, it ruins the entire Path."

As a Diviner, I saw her coming to see me before I even stepped out my door this morning. That didn't necessarily mean that I knew _why_ she was visiting, especially considering her… less than accommodating methods.

Rolling her eyes, she pushed past me. "You know I hate it whenever you See an entire conversation in advance."

Turns out that few people do. Kuroka always begins a conversation by putting up a Truth Field and demanding to know whether or not I was Seeing this entire conversation from the past. Carn avoided the issue entirely, just by sheer virtue of his unpredictability, making the possibilities involving him impossible to read all at once. By the time I found the real future, he would've already done what he had decided to, making future sight a moot point.

I shook myself back to the present as Kuroka plopped down on my couch and tossed the things resting on it to the side. I sighed, heading over and joining her. The door swung shut behind me.

Kuroka cleared her throat, looking nervous, as I sat down beside her. I simply waited, idly combing through the possible futures. After a quick check that Kuroka wouldn't be killing me anytime soon, I started checking mine routes. _'Maybe the southeast entrance? Not many people go there. If we—'_

"I need your help!" Kuroka finally blurted, snapping me out of my thoughts for the second time in the past five minutes. "I think I might've just gotten my sister in trouble, and I don't know what to do! I mean, if I don't give that bastard exactly what he wants, then he'll- he'll-"

"He'll what?" I interrupted, combing through the conversation. Rude though it may be, I'm missing quite a bit of context here. "Right. Shady Devil guy calls your little sister insurance. Got it. Now." I leaned forward. "What are you going to do about it?"

She flinched, taken aback by the seriousness of my tone. "I-I… I don't know. I-I mean, he's an Ultimate-Class Devil, I don't stand a chance against him."

I chuckled, leaning back once more. "Repeat that last bit again. Slower."

"I… don't… stand… a… chance." She spoke slowly, bitterly. "Yes. I'm pathetic. Go ahead and laugh."

I sighed. "You're missing the point. Really, I wouldn't stand much of a chance either. Hell, I stand less of a chance than you do. I'm only a human. But tell me, what do you do when you don't like your chances?"

She frowned. "I… don't…"

I smirked. "You rig the game. You change the chance."

"Chance." She murmured, catching on. "Right. You said I could use Chance magic, didn't you?"

I nodded once. "Exactly. Chance Mages are some of the most subtle kinds, and since your King won't be expecting human magic, he won't be looking for it. But listen." I fixed her with an even stare. "After this, I don't see you for at least a month. Even when you swear to high hell that you'll show up. That means the bastard probably locks you up somewhere. So even if I taught you all I could today, it wouldn't be enough."

Her eyes widened. "H-he w-what?" She managed, looking terrified.

I held up a hand. "Calm down, I've got a plan." I tugged out the tiny Book, dangling from its' golden chain. "Remember this?"

She nodded. "It's the not-Grimoire, right?"

I chuckled softly. "Well, more or less. What I didn't tell you is the girl's special ability." I poured a thin stream of mana into the Book, and it flickered out of existence.

She blinked. "It turns invisible?"

I didn't answer, feeding in more mana. She frowned in concentration, trying to keep looking at where the Book had been. "Stop that. It's annoying."

I smirked. "Oh, you have no idea. But yes, it not only turns invisible, it creates a field that makes it impossible to notice it." I paused. "A field that can encompass an entire person."

Her eyes widened once more. "W-wait, really?"

I nodded. "I swear to God."

She flinched slightly at the Name. "Don't. That's not funny."

I smirked. "I really is."

She cut herself off before getting too irritated, much to my disappointment. Angry Kuroka is cute Kuroka. "So, you're going to give the Book to me?"

I shook my head. "Lend, not give. I expect it back the next time I see you."

She smiled, finally breaking out of her reverie as she heard my real message. "Don't worry, Dee. I _will_ come back one day. I'll find a way."

I nodded once, tossing her the Book. "She knows you well enough by now to at least show you where the Chance Magic Entry is. I wouldn't count on her letting you read anything else, though. She nearly bit Carn when he borrowed her for a bit."

She giggled. "Oh, don't worry. He's just a crude male. She requires a more delicate touch than Carn can offer."

I just rolled my eyes, rising to my feet. "Take care, sister. These streets don't offer for many friends, and I'd prefer not to lose any."

She nodded once, rising along with me and heading for the door. "Take care yourself, Dee."

I nodded, walking back over to the workbench as the door shut quietly behind her. Even if the Book is the most powerful thing I own, I can always get by without it. Kuroka only has one avenue of attack, and that's one that her enemies are fully aware of. That's what we in the streets call a 'tactical nightmare'. Down in those mines, the worst I'm fighting is another person, and I've packed enough nasty surprises to blow most High-Class Devils to kingdom come.

Really, the only thing you need to take down any given Devil is a shield spell and a Bible. Start reading, look ahead into the future, and find the verse that makes their head explode. Problem solved. I chuckled to myself, tucking my Bible in my pocket for easy access. The System doesn't care if you're a nonbeliever, just that you're reading the scripture. Makes it easy for scrubs like me to one-shot Devils many times our power level.

The last of my preparations finished, I scribbled down a note for Von to read once he woke up and packed up the rest of my things. Then, I started the long walk to the Mines.

On my way, I picked up a ream of paper from a small shop on the corner of Fifth and East. Even if I'm going to be going a month or more without the Book, there's no point in stopping the production of more Entries. I have all the descriptions of the weapons, and most of the Book, really, memorized thanks to my Kangeki, so I don't need to rely on it as much as I once did. So once I get the metals necessary to recreate the weapons, I can immediately get started on making them. I don't claim to be a miracle worker, or to even know what the original blades looked like, but I do the best I can. Unfortunately, as experienced as I am, even with Von's help, I can never make God-Tier weapons that require a god or a comparable being to forge them such as Excalibur or Vasavi Shakti.

Not for lack of trying, though.

I picked up a meat skewer on my way through an alley, at one of the few stands that my Sight didn't warn me against. I know Carn well enough to know that what little food he brought for 'us' to eat would be eaten within an hour of our venture. The boy eats like a black hole. So, if I want any food at all, I need to eat now.

And, like a true resident of Naskapi, I resolutely avoided questioning exactly what kind of meat I was eating.

It's best not to ask these things.

I finally left the city behind me as I approached the large, rusted heap of iron that marked the entrance to the Mines. Carn was waiting for me, looking bored out of his skull. He brightened up as I came close, waving me over as if I hadn't known exactly where he was for the past hour.

"Oi, mate, what took ye'?" He called.

I tilted my head. "I'm fifteen minutes early."

"O-oh, righ'." He looked embarrassed. "I guess I was a wee bit exited, yeah?"

I chuckled. "Don't worry about it. You got the gear?"

He nodded cheerfully, hefting a bag of clinking tools. "Aye. I couldn' find any Gems, so I jus' packed a bag."

I nodded and began to walk once more. "The eastern entrance is the best one. Not many people, plenty of raw materials."

Carn caught up almost instantly, easily keeping stride. _Damn jock._ "Sweet. Get yer' spinney eyes all ready, I'mma be countin' on ya' ta' keep my sorry arse alive, arright?"

I nodded, activating my Eyes. What I saw… was not encouraging. The Curse of Hell was even worse underground, possibly due to being closer to the First Circle of the Damned. But with Carn's Earth Magic, he should be able to shield us from any cave-ins without much issue.

I calmed myself, reminding myself of the incredible amount of people who entered and exited the Mines on a daily basis. Sure, they looked exhausted, but none of them ever came back maimed. I remember hearing someone mention that the Mines were actually the safest option for an unfortunate soul, especially compared to prostitution and street vending. Both of those often ended in agony as you found a customer who was extremely… opinionated… about something, and you got your ass killed.

I took a deep, fortifying breath, and entered the cave.

* * *

Four hours later, we were much deeper in the mine, and my spare Gem Artifact was quickly filling up. Carn laughed as he easily tugged yet another node of ore out of the mine's wall and continued on his way. "Oi, mate, 'is is one'a my best ideas yet!" He crowed, hefting a hunk of oddly hued stone.

I rolled my eyes, catching the unidentified ore and tossing into the Gem. Even if my Eyes let me see things at close to the molecular level, I'm a bit too busy watching some of the more suspicious cracks for signs of weakening to properly identify ores that are lit only by faint torchlight. All forms of my Sight are being strained to their limits, looking into each Path we might take so as to avoid the most perilous routes.

Carn continued his search, walking ahead towards somewhere new. I originally suggested pulling ores only from the front of the mine in order to minimize risk, but he flat-out refused due to the insane amount of effort it would require to pull even a single node. So here we are, wandering deeper and deeper into the mine, not another soul to be found. I'm not too worried about an ambush, so I'm focusing more on the futures surrounding us specifically. This both makes it easier to group and keep track of said futures and lets me focus better on the present.

"Oi, mate!" A voice jolted me from my thoughts, making me stumble slightly. Thankfully, nothing bad seemed to happen. Just to be safe, I took three steps left and crouched beneath a sturdy, crack-free boulder with zero chance of collapsing. "Yeah?"

"...'Ye seem a mite bit jumpy." He remarked.

I snorted, relaxing slightly. "Carn, I am in the worst possible environment for my Sight. Every future shifts by the second, and it's giving me a migraine trying to keep track of it all. We could _die_ at _any given moment_."

"So wha'?" He asked carelessly, tossing me a hunk of ore. "We all gotta die sometime, an' death is better than Naskapi."

I grimaced, slipping out from under the rock and following my best friend as he began walking to the next spot. "Unlike you, I actually plan to do something with my life."

"Suuure." He teased, glancing back. "Like makin' blue-haired kittens."

I blinked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothin'. Never mind." He sighed. "What are ye' gonna be usin' yer haul for?" He asked instead, tossing me a much larger node.

I frowned, glancing down at it. "Forging shit. Come on, Carn. You know I'm making weapons from the Book."

He laughed, bracing a foot against the wall as he tugged a large hunk of rock out of the side of the Mineshaft. "Nah, not that. What _specifically_ are ye' usin' it for?"

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'mma be usin' mine to buy a swanky house in somewhere nice." He paused, thinking. "I dunno. Maybe Lilith would be good. Less cutthroat bastards there."

I snorted. "Not if Von is to be believed."

He rolled his eyes. "Ah, come off it. I said 'somewhere nice'."

I nodded, thinking. "I guess I don't know. I can't just leave Kuroka here, and I like to think that Von would miss me."

"Arright, than what blade are ye' makin?" He asked, tossing me the rock.

I frowned, combing through my mental list of blueprints. "Well, with what I have… I think I might be able to make Balmung."

"Barumungu?" He asked, looking confused. "Whassat?"

I smiled slightly, allowing myself to lose some of my stiffness. Inaccurate Silver Tongue translations are always funny. "It's a two-handed greatsword with a blue jewel embedded in the hilt that boasts a magnificence and enormity that makes it seem as if it was created by inhuman hands. The jewel stores and preserves magic energy, and releasing it makes the blade emanate a twilight aura. The twilight swells around the sword and releases in a flash of light, a surging wave with the simple purpose of destruction. It's a cursed holy blade possessing the attributes of Gram, the demonic blade of its origin, so it'll change attributes between holy sword and demonic sword depending on who wields it."

I reached into my personal Gem, pulling out a small white orb that seemed to glow softly in the dim lighting. "I managed to score some crystallized Light left over from the Battle of the End, and if I can talk some Darke creature into donating some energy, I'm sure I can make it work. Better yet, I can use an Enchantment to make it magnify emotions, giving the wielder heightened abilities, such as greater strength and awareness and faster running. It would only ever be given voluntarily, and if the wielder died, only a friend could claim it."

Carn blinked. "Er… mate… I think ye' lost me at 'greatsword'. Care to summarize?"

I sighed. "Big sword, shoots lasers. Not as good as Excalibur, but at least doable. Changes to reflect the heart of the wielder, and if I imbue it with a modified Spell of True Ownership, it can never be taken by an enemy if I fall in battle, only an ally. Better?"

He nodded. "Much. Sweet idea, by th' way."

I shrugged. "I got it from the Book. It described it in great detail, and even gave a few ideas on how it might work. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the Author had used the sword before."

"But ye' do know better?" Carn asked, confused. "How?"

"No one could possibly have wielded every blade in the Book." I deadpanned. "Hell, Caliburn's entry details it even though it broke during King Arthur's reign. If I had to guess, the Author has access to some kind of scrying ability that reaches into the past. I mean, the Book does say that some Time Mages can see into the past. Maybe he just has a friend with that ability."

Carn shrugged. "Arright. Makes sense. Say, do ye' think—"

Distracted as we were, neither of us registered a sudden shout through a corridor branching off from ours. We both turned, watching in shock as a bat-winged silhouette burst forth into the light, my Eyes registering a face and body similar to ours—

My eyes widened—

And the future _shifted_.

Suddenly, my relaxed posture stiffened, mind slamming into panic mode as I desperately tried to figure out what had changed. There was a terrible _crash_ , the ceiling rumbling as the Devil smashed headfirst into the cracked wall with a shuddering crash—

And the ceiling fell.

I whirled, trying to warn Carn, to tell him of the impending danger, but I was instead faced with the sight of an enormous slab of rock falling directly down onto his head. The world slowed, my eyes and my mind working in tandem, Thought Acceleration working overtime as I desperately tried to find a way to save him.

There was none.

I don't think you can quite understand the sheer anguish one goes through, watching as a rock the size of a food stall falls in slow motion, my best friend, my brother in all but blood slowly looking upward with excruciating sluggishness. Forever moving, forever looking upwards, forever doomed to failure. I watched, still moving to help, as the rock made contact with Carn's forehead. His eyes, widened comically in surprise, bulged out of their sockets from the pressure now placed between them. The weight of the rock pushed him back, down onto the ground, legs moving out from under him and splaying outward as if through molasses. Then, as I finally reached where he had been, he hit the ground. The rock crushed his skull, blood spraying out and bits of white showing as his head popped like a grape under the twenty-ton boulder. The rest of his body simply fell lifelessly to the ground, limbs askew, torso held in place by only the remaining skin of his neck.

I blinked, halting my motions. The future revealed nothing that I didn't already know.

Carn… was dead.

…

…

…

I blinked. Twice. Something warm and wet slid down one cheek. Then the other. The eyes that once taught me how to effortlessly play the most exotic of instruments and wield the most fanciful of weapons, now recording every gory detail of Carn's death.

All around me, the ground shook as time resumed. Stones smashed against the once-smooth floor, shattering the rock and turning it into sharpened points of impact. Ironically, the only safe place was exactly where Carn had stood, where I stood now. The fourteen-foot boulder, having fallen from the ceiling at an angle, slanted over my head and leaned against the wall behind me. Rocks fell to either side as they tumbled down the inclined plane, a stone the size of my head falling where I had stood not ten seconds before.

I fell to my knees, the torch Carn had dropped painting ghoulish shadows as I stared down at his decapitated corpse. Gradually, the constant rain and rumble of stone on stone ceased, leaving only a gravelly crunch, then an eerie silence.

It all happened… in less than an instant.

The liquid on my cheeks dripped to the ground with a softly echoed _plink_ , and I glanced down to look at it. My eyes stared emptily down at twin drops of blood. I absently raised a hand, covered in stone dust, to my cheek. It pulled away to reveal fresh blood on my fingertips. I closed my eyes, my _Mangekyō Kangeki_ eyes, and felt tears of blood streaming from beneath my closed lids.

The Author was right.

It wasn't worth it.

It never was.

And it never will be.

I felt my shoulders shake with quiet sobs, quiet drips deafening in the small space.

If only I hadn't gotten distracted. If only I could've Seen this coming. If only I had been able to get there in time.

 _If. If. If._

If only I had been faster. If only I had been smarter. If only I hadn't been so _weak_.

Another bloody tear fell to the ground, and I furiously rubbed at my stinging eyes.

If only I could turn back time. If only I could do something. If only I had pushed him out of the way.

The cold stone beneath my knees began to drain the warmth from my bones, but I didn't move.

 _If only it had been me._

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and shutting out my depressing thoughts. It's time to do what I do best.

Survive.

* * *

 _Day 1._

 _I am currently trapped in a small space, shaped like a jagged 'L'. Further investigation revealed the Devil's mutilated corpse. I know not his name, nor why he fled so quickly. All I know is that Hell has them now._

 _I was a fool to tempt fate, believing myself above it. I always knew Hell to be a living being, but never considered what that_ meant _. Living beings have free will. Free will means choices. Choices… mean probability._

 _My Sight couldn't see the true future, because the choice that Hell made wasn't accounted for until it was made. And since I gave away the Book, I am no longer shielded from Hell's curse. Already I'm seeing the signs, my fate trapped between a literal rock and a hard place. I am sealed in, and my Sight reveals to me that whatever I do, no matter how I try, any attempt at escape will result in my death. Truly, Hell has laid a perfect torture for me. I can't help but slowly fester, staring at the walls of my prison by the Light of the crystal I carry._

 _And what's worse… I will die here._

 _I know this with absolute certainty—if starvation doesn't kill me, the cold will. Winter is coming, I can feel its' chill. There's just enough space between the rocks to allow air through… but for once, that's not a good thing. Suffocation is preferable to death by starvation or cold. The coat I wear isn't meant for the subzero temperatures the Mines are known to have during Naskapi's harsh winters, and if anything, it just prolongs my suffering._

 _If there's one blessing, it's that I have a truly massive amount of pure water stored in my Gem. Even if they can't store organic matter, they can store Senjutsu-purified liquids. But, in truth, even that small blessing is a curse._

 _I have no more food. I somehow doubt that paper is edible, and I would really rather die than eat my only source of entertainment. I while away time by sketching out numerous possible blueprints for different blades. It gets monotonous, but it's at least something._

 _Day 4._

 _I'm well and truly hungry now. I remember reading somewhere that humans can survive without any food for 30-40 days, as long as they are properly hydrated. Severe symptoms of starvation begin around 35-40 days, and death can occur at around 45 to 61 days. For a nine-year-old boy stuck in the cold… probably half that._

 _That means I have only 15-20 days until my body starts breaking down. Four of which have already passed._

 _My Mangekyō is a pure black hourglass silhouette with red pupils in the exact center, resembling a propeller more than a pinwheel. Whenever I try to activate its' embedded ability, it doesn't seem to do anything. There's a slight jerking sensation, as if someone is pulling a rope attached to my spine, but nothing more happens. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how the damn thing works, but to no avail. I know it's going to be somewhat time-based, due to the Author saying that it absorbs and changes the user's magic in some way. The literal hourglass in my eye seems to be another helpful hint towards this._

 _I've had a lot of time to think, lately. I've given up my slim hope of rescue, knowing that the residents of Naskapi are more likely to simply close off the north entrance and ignore it than try to rescue any survivors. Sad, but true. That means I have no one but myself to rely on._

 _15 days, four of which have passed. Eleven days left. And then, I'll have to make a choice._

 _Day 5._

 _I can't stop thinking about food. Even the nasty shit I occasionally had to scarf down while on a job. I found myself imagining different rocks as shapes of food—there's a chicken leg, here's a steak._

 _I have exhausted all possibilities. All the tools in Carn's bag are pinned under the twenty-ton rock, and none of the blades in my Gem are usable for digging. The only chance I would have would be one of my flame-based blades, and I think the rocks are mostly frozen together. The one thing that could save me would be the cause of my demise as the ice melts and the rocks crush me. Cruel irony._

 _I wish I had the Book, she would know what to do. As it is, I find myself blindly throwing myself down different Paths, trying to find the way out._

 _I don't know what to do._

 _I've been using only the Light crystal to see, having previously discovered that using one of my flame-based blades for heat only ate up the small amount of oxygen in the room much faster. I passed out twice before I gave it up as useless. Now it's just me, staring into this crystal of pure Light, wondering which Angel created it._

 _Day 7._

 _Last night I dreamt of food. An entire banquet. A white tablecloth, stretched endlessly and piled with the choicest cuts of meat, with steamed greens and sautéed fish. I woke to feel my stomach as hollow as it had been the previous day._

 _I checked the dead Devil's clothes for something, anything that might help. I found a pair of shattered reading glasses and a tissue. I was unimpressed. Beyond that, I couldn't think of anything. I started folding the spare sheets of paper into origami shapes. I hear that if you fold 1000 cranes, you get your wish granted._

 _That would be almost funny if I weren't currently trapped in my own personal hell._

 _Day 11._

 _Have you ever been truly hungry? Not getting peckish, or having that simple rumble in your stomach that tells you it's time for lunch. True hunger is when you no longer miss food. It's when you can't walk more than 30 metres without longing to sit down because your head is spinning and you feel sick. The sickness only grows the more you feel your body eating away at itself. You stop feeling any form of motivation at that point. All you want to do is sleep. Your energy levels are so low that you start to make more and more excuses about why you can't go anywhere. You feel this pain in your stomach and all of your muscles and bones start to ache. You are constantly cold because of the lack of body fat._

 _My teeth are always chattering now. I can barely think in a straight line, and Sight is almost impossible. I try anyway, if only to save my own skin._

 _Day 16._

 _Hunger is what most people in first world society experience from lack of meals. Starvation is when those meals aren't as appetizing as death is. It's a burning and tightness all over my body and my stomach feels hollow and empty. My breath smells like rot. I haven't had my hair start falling out yet, but I somehow doubt that's my biggest issue right now._

 _I read a passage in the Book one time that describes my current situation perfectly. "All it takes to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy is one bad day." While the phrase itself is from a psychopath, the Author spent several pages breaking it down and explaining the truth behind it. I think that's all that's kept me sane, really. Reminding myself that I still have things to do in life. Like finding the Author, and finishing the Book. The Author said that every man must one day face his 'one bad day', and it's the truest test of character there is. Will you become the man with no light? Or will you become the man who thrives on snuffing the light of others?_

 _I wonder. I wonder._

 _Day 17._

 _I finally snapped. I made a choice._

 _I realized that, thanks to the cold, Carn's body didn't rot. It was perfectly refrigerated, the tissues of his limbs having a blue tint. I wish I could say I had a logical reason behind what I did, but in truth, I was just hungry._

 _I remembered how to skin an animal, removing the organs and the bones, and began using one of my blades to dissect him. Then, using one of my flame-based blades, I cut off a portion of his arm meat and roasted it._

 _I ate him. I ate Carn._

 _It was easy, surprisingly easy. I just focused more on the taste than I did on where it came from._

 _It was tender, and in color, texture, smell, and taste, it's closer to veal than anything else. Mild, with no characteristic tastes. It's slightly tougher than veal, and is a little stringy, but not too tough or stringy as to be inedible._

 _I paced myself, somehow remembering that while starving, it's best to only eat a bit at a time._

 _Judging by the remaining meat, I can easily live for several months on this alone._

 _Day 23._

 _I've been thinking a lot lately, using my now recovered Sight to look ahead._

 _The human being is a remarkable animal, able to adapt to nearly any circumstance. Our digestive tracts don't have to undergo any types of adaptation or evolution to be able to cope with eating humans. For the most part, there's nothing inherently dangerous about human meat. If anything, our flesh is comparable to that of a pig—both species are omnivores and eat similar diets._

 _At the end of the day, we're flesh and fat and protein, just like any other animal._

 _I remember reading somewhere, that an adult human is about 77,000 calories. I'd think Carn is about half that. Since my body is in starvation mode and needs only about 400-500 a day to live, I can last about 77 days. More once I start in on the Devil. I just hope I figure something out by then._

 _I made the right choice, though. My Sight shows me that in any future that I refuse to eat, I die within three days. I have things to do in my life, things that_ need _doing. I need to talk to Kuroka again. I need to complete the Book. I need to talk to the Author. I need to get strong enough to survive._

 _No matter how much I might be tempted to call these things mere 'wants', I have to keep telling myself why I'm surviving. Otherwise, I'm terrified that one day I'll just stop getting up._

 _The fact that over half the futures I can see end with that is not comforting in the least._

 _Day 32._

 _I've been sleeping more often than not these days._

 _I know, it's a bad idea to sleep when it's this cold. What little water I dare to take out of my Gem ends up freezing if I leave it for more than a little while._

 _I've gotten more creative with my meals. I have several bowl-shaped shields, and heating them from below with water inside lets me make a kind of… stew. Mashing up ground bones creates a paste and gives me the protein I need. I mix in sliced bits of forearm meat, the toughest stuff, and it becomes almost edible after a while of simmering it._

 _I covered the cracks in the stones with pieces of cloth from the now unneeded clothes of the corpses. It blocks the cutting wind while still allowing me to breathe. It does, however, make the room smell musty and disgusting._

 _But in truth, I don't care. I'm alive._

 _Day 45._

 _Hell is fucking with me, I swear. I occasionally hear clacks on the ground, as if they're footsteps, but I know that they're really just rocks bouncing off the ground._

 _Ever wonder how I know when the days change without light? How I know to count them? I don't. It's all a big blur to me. But I learned a long while back, Day 3 I think, that a heavy rock drops outside my prison walls every night (?) at exactly the same time. It makes it incredibly easy to count days, if you do it right._

 _Fuck you too, Hell._

 _I remembered something about how you should never eat the liver of an animal you don't know, so I didn't eat that, but the lungs were surprisingly soft and sweet. More pork than veal, oddly enough. I find myself wondering what the heart will taste like._

 _My Light crystal finally stopped working, but for what reason I don't know. Maybe I just ran out of mana to feed it. Maybe it doesn't work that well in Hell. Maybe it broke. I don't really care why, just that it did._

 _In any case, I've been relying on brief uses of a nameless flame-based sword to see. It's not nearly as comforting, but it works._

 _Day 63._

 _Something changed._

 _I don't know how, I don't know what. But it did. The darkness is less dark, and I can almost make out shapes._

 _I got tired of the same thing over and over, so I tried some of the Devil's meat. It was… how do I say… gamier than one would expect. It has this smoky undertone to it that I joked to myself remained after he crawled out of the fire and brimstone._

 _I tried parts of the Devil that weren't present on Carn, just for the hell of it. Just to spite the ever-present fear. The eyes were particularly odd, especially since they were something I've never had before. Each one bursts in your mouth like a cherry tomato. The flavor inside is meaty, porky, mild, and fresh. The cornea has a bit of a cartilage-like crunch to it._

 _Definitely a delicacy._

 _I started using a low-level flame to dry strips of meat for later. I used several loose stones to create a little hut, and some thinner, plate-like rocks to place the meat on._

 _People jerky._

 _Kind of funny, until you realize I'm slowly dying._

 _I wonder if anyone would even find my corpse?_

 _Day 71._

 _I was right. Something did change. Slowly, surely, I've been developing night vision. The cavern I'm in is now dim, not dark, and I can easily see my own hand without the aid of light._

 _Don't get me wrong, I used to be able to see watery silhouettes without light, but as soon as I used the crystal I lost my 'night vision and had to let my eyes readjust. Now the change is almost instant. I light a blade, and turn it off. Nothing. Just a change of tone in the atmosphere, and a quick burst of heat. No stabbing pain in my eye sockets that signals my eyes having to suddenly adjust._

 _Carn is nothing but a pile of inedible bones, now. I've started in on the Devil, hoping he'll last longer._

 _I started singing 'Devil on my Shoulder' as I ate the Devil's shoulder. I found it far funnier than I probably should've. Maybe I'm getting delirious._

 _Day 89._

 _I noticed something for the first time today. My skin is incredibly, ridiculously pale. The kind of paleness you'd expect from a vampire. I wouldn't know how long it's been this pale, considering that I'd been relying on the white light of the crystal for most of my time here._

 _Dracula, eat your heart out._

 _Heh._

 _I learned today that if you tenderize shoulder muscle right, it can be cooked and eaten just like steak. I entertained myself by wishing I had some barbeque sauce to see if I could make BBQ ribs._

 _Looking back at my previous entries, sparse though they are, it seems like I'm reading the journal of someone else. I can vaguely remember the sheer desperation with which I devoured my first few mouthfuls of flesh, but only as if it were a dream. I'm too used to it by now to even bat an eye._

 _Food is food, when you're hungry._

 _Day 94._

 _First: never eat brains._

 _Second: never eat brains._

 _Third: See rules one and two._

 _Seriously. Just don't. I remember Carn once saying something about how 'zombees' eating brains and he wanted to know if they existed. I laughed and told him about Mad Cow Disease._

 _I've been reminiscing a lot more. Previously worthless memories are now warm sparks to ward off the tired fog that my brain has fallen into._

 _I don't even remember the last time I was cold._

 _Day ?_

 _I slept. A very long time. Days? Weeks? I don't know. But I haven't felt tired since._

 _I don't think most places have a winter that lasts this long, but most places aren't Naskapi. Especially since the Ash started blowing._

 _I never even considered the Ash as a threat. I guess my prison keeps nasty things out as much as it keeps me in._

 _Day ?+1_

 _I discovered something today. I was cooking some stew and made to light the fire as if I were holding a flame blade. I was holding an ordinary paring knife. The fire still lit like it was supposed to._

 _Imagine my shock once I turned around to find the nameless flame blade sitting innocently behind me._

 _So… I can apparently do magic now. At least, to some extent. I have to be able to vividly imagine not only the spell, but the cause of it as well._

 _Maybe I can use this?_

 _Day ?+3_

 _I can. I can use this to get out. Aside from trying to activate my Mangekyō once more using this strange new power, I haven't actually done anything yet. The same tugging sensation followed the activation, and I felt a strange fog cloud my mind. Nothing else happened, and the 'fog' cleared almost instantly. Beyond that, I just experimented a bunch with my new magic. I used my Sight once I discovered its' limits, looking ahead into the many possibilities. But even though I can clearly see myself getting out, I can't see ahead far enough to know where to go. It's all annoyingly vague._

 _However, I can see one thing for certain with my Kangeki. The threads of fate that wrapped around me, Hell's curse, is no longer present. I can't imagine what that means for my future, but it should be something good… right?_

 _So. I have three options. Three branches to this tunnel, three ways I could go. One, I can go back the way I came, trying to reach the surface. The problem with that is, I don't know how far the collapse reached. If there were just a small cave-in, the miners would've dug through it without a problem. As it is, I might be digging for a long time without a clue when I'll find the exit. Or, worse, I might compromise the structural integrity of the rock pile, making them fully collapse and sealing off my air supply._

 _Two. I could go the way the Devil ran from. Problem with that is, I have no clue why he was running. For all I know, a live Dragon is sitting on the other side, fully intent on roasting any poor bastard that stumbles into its' nest. And with me being damn near emaciated, I couldn't fight back if I tried. I would have to be insane to choose this path._

 _Three. I could go deeper into the tunnel. I'm sure at least one branch will lead back to a different entrance, and even if my Sight is too fuzzy to tell me where things are, I can at least find another living person. They can lead me back out. But again… how do I know how far the landslide goes?_

 _My Sight still won't clear up enough to give me anything beyond vague impressions, like might have an instinct not to go down a shady alleyway. Nothing helpful. Nothing useful. Just impressions._

 _I'll have to make a choice soon. But until then, I'll have to try smoking more meat for on the road. I'll try my Mangekyō once more before I leave, then give it up as a lost cause._

 _This will be my last entry. I'm not going to take anything unnecessary, and paper won't survive being stored in my Gem Artifact. It'll disintegrate, making this entire thing a moot point. Instead, I'll just leave this here for someone else to find._

 _Who knows? Maybe someone might even find this someday._

 _…_

 _This is a survivor's final Entry, to be left behind in the cavern in which he spent the last hundred days of his life._

* * *

 **…I'm tempted to wait a month, just to mess with you guys. Or, worse, just end it here.**

 **Mmm... nah. I've already started on the next chapter.**

 **To cover some more frequently asked questions:**

 **Yes, this is my own magic system. It's a homebrew inspired by the Dresden Files, Typemoon, and oddly enough, the Twilight saga. Oh, and a fair bit of Overlord's YGGDRASIL system as well.  
**

 **REVIEWS:**

 **chessru:**

 **Greetings! Yes, this is my own system. I had quite a bit of fun designing it, and I plan to expound on it over the course of the story. This story is my love letter to hard-rule magic systems, made for the fans who love that sort of thing. There will be math involved, and lots of figuring.**

 **DxD is, in short, a world in which the Tinkerbell Effect presides over all else. Gods, monsters, pretty much anything you can find in mythology exists. The catch is, the majority of them** **exist only because people believe in them. The exceptions are the lower beings who climb from mortality to godhood on their own power, and thus can survive in a world where no one believes in them. I wish I could say I were a genius that everyone copies, but the idea of 'becoming god' has been done many times. I just noticed that everyone tended to just go 'and then he became OP and everyone loved/worshiped him' rather than actually coming up with a compelling story, so I decided to do it right.  
**

 **I hope you enjoy, and I thank you for your reviews!**

 **Yukilumi:**

 **I know, it was slightly painful to rip off such a large part of the story. But like you said, it's** **is popular and a familiar concept. If my limited writing experience has taught me anything, it's that adding too much of my own stuff without something well-known to ground it just confuses the hell out of people. Not to mention, the Sharingan will be the perfect addition to my already messed-up story. It's the ultimate power based on evil, and it can only be accessed by either committing or witnessing terrible sins. If Millicas got his power through natural genius and 'the power of love', then Dee is going to get his by getting the shit kicked out of him until he either gets strong or dies. People _will_ die, and his loved ones _will_ get hurt.  
**

 **nanyakiri:**

 **As you might have seen, it has indeed bitten him in the ass. The problem with seeing the future is that it makes him overly reliant on it. Now that he's stuck somewhere that blocks his Sight, he'll actually have to _try_.**

 **alstao:**

 **I make most of my cover art myself, thanks! FFnet regulations state that you can't use someone else's image, so I make the image my own instead. I even zoomed in and pixeled in little Mangekyō pupils on the eyes.**


	5. Cathartic Bombing

**Chapter 4: Cathartic Bombing**

* * *

I exhaled deeply, setting down my pen. I felt a sense of numb detachment as I set the final page next to the rest.

To tell the truth, I've been having problems with feeling intense emotions lately. While logically I know I _should_ be terrified of death by falling rocks or the ensuing suffocation that surviving would cause… I'm _not_. And that's more terrifying to me than the rocks themselves.

I've taken to talking to myself over the many empty hours, if only to hear a voice amidst the silence and the rushing winds. I speak of my plans, my hopes, my dreams, even passing random ideas, trying desperately to cling to what little there was left of me that could feel. How long had it been since I'd felt disgust at eating another human? Since I felt the fear of impending doom? Since I saw another living being?

I shook myself from my depressing thoughts.

Not that I can even _get_ depressed anymore. That ability disappeared at the same time I stopped feeling sorry for eating another sentient being. Now I just live in a world of logic and absolutes. And for the life of me, even though it would be the right thing, the smart thing, the _human_ thing, to aim for the surface tunnel and damn the odds… I can't. It's just not logical. Too much struggle, not enough reward. And even if I _did_ reach the top, who would believe me? How many of them would kill me on sight, thinking me a monster?

How many would be _right_?

I finished slicing pieces of meat off of the Devil's back, absently wiping the blade on the bloodied cloth I kept for that exact purpose. I brought the strips of meat over to the makeshift stove, carefully placing them on the misshapen slates I used as hot plates. Soon, with a pulse of mana into the practice blades I had enchanted to give off a steady heat, I was treated to the sound of sizzling meat. It brought back memories of better times, of when Von and I made bacon. Tasty, tasty bacon. Not this poorly-made veal meat.

"…I really need to stop talking to myself. Other people might think I'm insane." I murmured, my voice smooth and even. Like liquid honey on my ears despite its' frailty. "Gotta wonder what I've missed, though."

I continued carving up the rest of the Devil's meat, separating various parts into their respective uses. The loins made for excellent steaks, the small strip down the middle of the back could be barbequed for an excellent flavor, and the legs could be slow-cooked as roasts. I had already devoured the arms and chest, including the surprisingly tough lung and heart tissue.

Once I finally finished the arduous task of preparing the last of the meat, I salted it with some of the rock salt Carn had pulled from the earth and wrapped it securely in one of the ratty cloths covering the wall that blocked the cold winter wind. I would've already cooked all of the meat, but that would both deprive me of a future activity to look forward to and ensure that everything I ate was cold. And take it from me, meat eaten at subzero temperatures tastes like frozen sand.

I picked up Carn's shoddily repaired pack, dropping the meat inside. I dropped all of my non-organic items in my Gem, and put all of my other miscellaneous knick-knacks in with the meat. Then I took a deep breath and, after one last look around my home of several months, tried my Mangekyō one more time. The familiar tug on my navel was as unhelpful as it had been all the other times I had tried it. I grit my teeth in frustration, my hourglass-shaped pupils splitting into three tomoe as my Mangekyō returned to its' normal form.

My last action complete, I began the long and arduous task of trying to walk through stone.

It wasn't actually that hard. All I had to do was imagine myself walking through the stone as if it weren't there. Of course, in practice, it felt like walking directly into a sandblaster, but it was safe enough that I was confident in using the technique. It's not something that I can use on anything except stone, for some odd reason, but it's helpful nonetheless.

Some long amount of time later, I breached the other side and stumbled into my first free steps in a very long time. I immediately froze, sending my Sight into overdrive as I searched the foggy future. Nothing. Pure blackness surrounded me, and not a sound could be heard. I was almost disappointed.

I stumbled forward, my thin legs supporting my weight as best as they could as I began to walk. Though relatively uneven at first, my pace evened out as my legs remembered the familiar motions. Of course, having the stamina of the emaciated skeleton that I was, I had to lean against the wall soon enough. Once I finished my rest, I was moving again, my old boots the only sound to be heard.

This continued for a very. long. time. I walked, I rested, I ate, I tried to sleep. For some reason, ever since I woke from my long sleep, I haven't been able to truly _rest_. Sure, I can close my eyes, and my awareness fades slightly, but I don't really _sleep_. I have a kind of dreamlike film settle over my mind, having the odd experience of being perfectly aware while I dreamt of many different things, from the beauty and warmth of the sun to the taste of a ripe peach. Then I rose once more, and continued my endless journey.

I took the only path I could, using my Sight to scope out all of the dead ends. As odd as it was, I couldn't see the path in front of me, merely the side paths. As if I had to traverse them by myself. And that's a frankly terrifying thought. What kind of creature can jam my Sight?

The only thing that kept me from turning back was the knowledge that there was nothing awaiting me back there. So I forged on. Step after step. Minute after minute. Hour after hour. Day after day. Year after yea— all right, now I'm just being dramatic.

I perked up, seeing a dim red glow ahead. I didn't cry out, knowing that the light could very well be malicious, but I did increase my pace to see what caused it. Finally, I reached the top of the slight incline, and looked down.

There was no tunnel floor. It was gone, collapsed, possibly at the same time the roof above us had. I didn't pay the broken floor any heed, but rather what lay beneath. A river, flowing slowly between banks of broken glass. A river of pure fire.

I blinked, falling back onto my ass in shock as I stared. My eyes… they revealed it for what it really was. A torture chamber for souls. I watched as one almost broke the surface, burnt almost to a crisp, before it was dragged back down and forcibly healed. It shuddered and screamed, voice a quiet crackle amongst many.

The Phlegethon. The fourth river of the Underworld. One of the few things shared by Greek and Christian mythologies. It's said to punish the wicked by healing them, so that they can endure more pain.

An eternal cycle of burning and rebirth. The birthplace of the phoenix.

The boundary between the Seventh Circle of Hell and Tartarus, the Pit of the Damned.

 _Fuck._

No wonder my Sight is on the blink, something down there is probably blocking it.

 _'So. Do I want to enter the Circle of Hell that's literally comprised entirely of people who were violent in life, or a pit of never-ending monsters?'_

"Ah, who the hell am I kidding. I'm practically a monster already, so I might fit right in." I murmured.

I grimaced, my Sight warning me that the fragile ledge I stood on wouldn't hold my weight for much longer.

 _'Now… how should I get down?'_

I can stand heat, hell, I made sure to make everything I own flame-retardant before I even became Von's apprentice. He taught me enough spells and cantrips to turn myself into a fireproof fortress, due to the sheer heat required to melt the likes of Mithril or Adamant. But would they last against the literal river of fire? My gut told my yes. My Sight agreed. So I tossed my bag onto the bed of broken glass, and leapt.

I closed my eyes as I hit the 'water', feeling the viscous liquid surrounding me. It _burned_ , and yet I couldn't feel any of my limbs melting. If anything, they only got stronger as I clawed my way to the surface. I burst into the clean air, gasping for breath. I stumbled my way over to my bag, miraculously intact despite its' fall onto broken glass, and made my way over to the ordinary dirt beyond the glass. I collapsed, panting, my clothes steaming as they dripped liquid fire. Far above me, the ledge I had stood on finally collapsed and rained chunks of rock down into the river.

I felt… good. Better than I had in _ages_. I glanced down at my hand, shocked to see muscled flesh rather than a skeletal claw. I flexed it in wonder, searching for the tiny nicks and scratches that had scarred over during my incarceration. I found none. Not a single wound remained. However… despite my sudden health, my grey skin remained pale and smooth. Like velvet, rather than flesh. Creepy as hell, if you ask me.

I checked my feet for cuts, and found only slight scrapes to my pleasant surprise. I glanced around, trying to get my bearings, and immediately spotted the difference between the two sides of the river. One side seemed like a ceilingless black void, stretching on into nothingness. The other had a defined ceiling, all red stone and stalactites. I surmised that I had indeed chosen the right side, seeing as the ceiling was on the other side of the river, and Tartarus is known for its' black voids.

 _'Huh. I wonder if—'_

And then the hunger hit. And _oh my God_ , it hurt.

I scrabbled at my pack, devouring the shoulder of the Devil whole as my stomach greedily demanded more. A back muscle. A thigh. Three ribs. Then, as I polished off a fourth rib, my stomach quieted down. I relaxed, finally ceasing my hunger-induced frenzy. While ordinarily I would never eat so much at once, something tells me that the fire-water made it possible. But just to be safe…

I stood, now full of energy, and leapt lightly onto a thin plate of glass. I played a little game of hopscotch as I approached the river once more, making sure not to cut my feet on the sharp edges. Then, I scooped up a handful of the 'water' and drank it. It tasted like chili peppers mixed with Kool-Aid. Bleh.

I hesitated for a moment, glancing down at the river, and wondered whether or not fire-water could be considered organic. I somehow doubted it. So, after less than a moment of deliberation, I dumped the contents of the treasure Gem into my personal Gem and tucked it in my pocket. Then, with the former treasure Gem in hand, I leaned down and placed it in the 'water'. I could feel the spell on the Artifact working overtime, devouring vast quantities of the Phlegethon with startling ease. I waited patiently, too used to the passage of time to even fidget. Then, as the stream ceased being siphoned by the Gem and continued its' path, I tucked the now scalding hot Gem in my pack and hopped back over to the bank of the river.

I stood in the same spot as before, using my Mangekyō to pierce the slight gloom that pervaded the atmosphere. I made a mental map as I went.

To my back was the Phlegethon, as well as the entrance to Hell. Ahead of me, I could see a frost cloud as well as several dozen batlike creatures fluttering around. To my left, the Phlegethon stretched on into a vast wasteland with innumerable figures dotting its' surface. I followed the glowing river's trail with my eyes, watching as it fed into a delta. Beyond the delta, if I squinted my eyes, I could see a dull bronze castle. Five rivers fed into the delta, and one trailed past a thick wood comprised of trees that completely lacked leaves.

Yet, despite my incredible eyesight, I was utterly incapable of seeing the entirety of the Pit. The dark haze clouding the air, while seemingly transparent on its' own, was dense enough over long distances to obscure even the Mangekyō Kangeki. But even if the haze weren't there, I had the feeling that not even my eyes would be able to see edges of the Pit. Its' sheer _vastness_ belied comprehension, and every square foot of it was likely crammed with monsters that would love nothing more than to kill me.

I could feel the pressure of the Veil around me, an invisible switch in the back of my mind that would allow my Eyes to tear aside the Mortal Plain to see the true nature of the Pit. I observed for a mere moment longer, then pressed the switch.

The change was immediate.

What had once been a smog-filled cavern was now a great mass of shrieking souls, whirling and shifting. The rivers leading into the delta were no longer water, but liquid masses of damned souls. The wall of frost was actually a great wave of still beings, ethereal and indistinct, all frozen with looks of terror or shock on their faces. I could see only glimpses of the other rivers, but I didn't have to see them to know that they were manifestations of human suffering. I turned, red eyes focusing on the river of fire I had just climbed out of, and took a step back. The sheer _agony_ on the faces of the river's denizens was jarring. While before I could see the souls themselves, now I can see the details of their forms. I could see the river's ghostly embrace, shackling them to their eternal torment.

I slammed the switch to 'off', gasping for breath as the otherworldly pressure ceased. The river became a crackling flame once more, the souls no longer clearly visible. _Damn._ That had been… jarring. It made me wonder what kind of pain the Christian Hell had in comparison.

…I'm suddenly glad I'm an atheist. No hell to worry about, just eternal nothingness.

I hefted my pack, glancing over my spot once more. I've achieved everything I can here… which means I have to start moving somewhere. Through a horde of monsters. While holding an arsenal of blades I've never used before in my life.

…Fuck my life.

I poured mana into my Eyes, almost hoping they gave me laser vision or something. What with all the emotion I just experienced, the sheer revulsion I felt looking over the tragedy of the damned, it should have more than enough power. And yet, I felt nothing but the now-familiar jerking sensation around my navel.

 _'Ah, well. It was a nice thought.'_

I sighed, checked my surroundings once more, and began my long trek to my destination. I would avoid the bronze fortress like the plague, seeing as anything smart enough to forge metals in this place is likely strong enough to pulverize me. I would head for the barren woods, instead.

Hopefully I would survive the trip.

* * *

To my surprise, I managed to get quite the distance without encountering a single monster. I would think that a human walking alone through their territory would be like ringing the proverbial dinner bell, especially since I was obviously weak. In my off hand, I clutched a cursed spear with an ominous design. Blood red, and pointed on both ends. An asymmetrical, veinlike design coiled around the shaft of the spear, the last remnants of the spear's origin.

It cost me an arm and a leg to get, but I managed to obtain one of the very few remaining branches of Tonelico, the Irish tree of life. The leftover bone fragments of the beast Curruid, while not enough to carve an entire spear out of, were easily absorbed by the wood of the tree once the proper preparations were used. Then, with Kuroka's help, I merged the two opposites, creating a blood-red branch that looked and felt like bone. Once I had finished crafting the spear, using only the Book's descriptions to guide me, I imbued it with a variety of different Enchantments, spells, cantrips, and whatever else I could get my hands on in order to make it mimic the original as closely as possible.

It's never going to be as good as the original Gáe Bolg, but it's damn close. By the Book's ranking, this would likely be about a solid B- Rank Noble Phantasm, while the original was closer to B+. I called it a resounding success, and was ridiculously proud of my invention. Until I realized that a two-meter spear is almost useless in the hands of a nine-year-old rookie. What was I going to do with it, poke someone? Even the Kangeki can only do so much to help.

I sighed, stepping over a divot in the ground at my feet. _'Well, at least it's better than nothing. I don't dare use any Holy Weapons, or any non-demonic weapons really. With any luck, the spear's monstrous origin will help me blend in a bit more.'_ I glanced at the large, red, serrated polearm. My electric blue hair, extremely long due to my lack of care, fluttered in the corner of my vision. _'Not that I blend in at all, really.'_

My footsteps slowed as I decided to take a break. Miraculous health or not, malnutrition didn't help my endurance any. Even though I had made sure that my muscle tone hadn't diminished at all during my time in prison, there's only so much you can do in a space too cramped to fully stand. So even though I can match Von for sheer arm strength, I'm a fricking powder puff when it comes to literally everything else right now.

I sat down, planting my spear into the earth and leaning against it. It was cool against my back, and I took several deep swigs from a canteen full of nearly freezing water. While incarcerated, I hated having all of my water being freezing cold. Here, in the infernal pit, it's a blessing.

I glanced around, seeing no one. I had been following the Phlegethon for quite a while, yet I hadn't seen a single monster yet. Am I missing something?

I activated my Eyes, checking my surroundings, Nothing. My Sight had been nearly useless ever since I entered the Pit, so I was unsurprised to see barely a second down a given Path before each probability dissolved. _'Some help that is.'_

I rose to my feet, lifting my spear from the ground, the crunch of the dirt beneath my feet beginning once more. I yawned, not out of actual tiredness, but out of boredom. Walking for long, indeterminate periods without any changes really starts wearing at one's patience. I glanced to my side, eyeing the large cold front that came from the river of ice. _'I wonder if—'_

I froze, a chill racing down my spine. I knew this feeling. I whirled, trying to find what had set off my instincts. Nothing. Just the river of fire, banks of broken glass glistening softly in its' light. I cautiously moved into a ready stance, the point of my spear pointed at the ground and its' shaft braced against my shoulder.

And then pain.

I gasped in shock as I felt something tear through my ribs, stumbling back and turning to face my foe. I felt my feet catch on something, and then I was falling. Upwards. I bounced a few times, swinging by my bound ankles as I slowly spun to face a creature pulled straight out of an arachnophobe's worst nightmare. Eight beady eyes, each one larger than my head, a very hairy head, and _ohgodwerethosefangs?_

I shivered. The spider stared. Its' fangs glistened. I suddenly had the distinct feeling that I was about to become lunch. "Er… who… are you?" I asked hesitantly, hoping to keep it distracted for long enough for me to pull something out of my ass. My spear had been bound along with the rest of my body, and I somehow doubted I could free myself in any way not involving falling to my death. "I never really learned much Greek mythology."

It tilted its' enormous head. All around me, a gigantic web shifted as the spider began running its' forelegs across the strands around it. It began to vibrate, and suddenly the beginnings of a whispery hum built to a crescendo. A moment later, and entire words were perfectly audible. _"Odd for one of your kind to fall to us."_ The spider whispered, its' web doing what its' vocal cords could not. _"Do you not walk amongst your ancestors in the Spirit World?"_

I blinked. "Er… no. I'm an atheist."

The spider twitched sporadically. Either it was having a seizure, or it was laughing. I honestly didn't know which I preferred. Its' next words came out slightly choppy due to its' continued twitching. _"AmUSineg."_ It warbled. _"No-god belieevore?"_

I frowned. "Yes. Atheist. I don't follow any higher power."

 _"That would explain why you fell so easily into my web."_ It replied in what I assumed to be amusement. _"A mortal with sealed eyes cannot see what lies in front of them. Pity you do not follow the customs of your people, for that would allow you to see us as spirits, at least. Yet, you cannot look for what you do not see."_

 _'Great.'_ I grumbled. _'Cryptic bullshit. Well, at least the giant fucking spider is polite. Hopefully it's helpful, too.'_ "Er, if you wouldn't mind, could you give me some pointers on how to 'look for what I cannot see'?" I asked politely.

It tilted its' head once more. _"I shall do better, should you wish. I can let you see all hidden things as a spider does, impartially and imperceptibly. Neither the gods above or the Titans below shall detect your gaze, and you shall see what no others can."_

I blinked in shock. This big-ass spider… who is currently holding me in its' web… is offering to help me.

…Somehow, I doubt I'm getting out of this one alive.

I sighed. _'Well, it's not like it can't just kill me anyway.'_ "Sure. Go ahead."

The web hummed once more. _"I need you to give me permission."_

I frowned. If I had any other choice, I would take it. But as it was… "One question. What are the limits of this 'spider sight'?"

It paused for a moment, observing me, before replying. _"There is but one. To remain imperceptible, no spider can look upon a greater being as they would a fellow. One cannot see what one cannot understand. Now. Will you accept?"_

I sighed. "Yes. You have my permission."

I felt a sudden chill down my back, but I was distracted from it by the spider extending a single leg to touch my forehead. Then, an incredible force entered my skull, my eyes burning as if someone had poured acid into them. I could _feel_ my brain melting, breaking down, dissolving into sludge.

My last sight was of a large pair of fangs, opening to puncture my skull.

…

I gasped, stumbling over my own feet as I felt my mind reel from the horror of the past few seconds. My knees crashed onto the bank of the Phlegethon, broken glass digging into my knees as I stared into space. That… was horrifying. What even _was_ that? I know it wasn't a Path-Walk, I would've known if I were using my Sight. So what—

I froze, feeling something _shift_ inside my mind, my eyes darting from side to side. Something was pressing _into_ my thoughts, covering each one like a vile substance.

.

 **S͈̹̟̮y̏ͩ̃͆҉n̰͍̲̝̫ͪ̊c̪̥̳͕͞h͍͉̦̱͓̠͈r͈̬o̬̓̃ͣ̈͌̈n̩̙̞ͧ̎͊ͣ͜i̍̀̑ͮz̠a͊ͮͣ̈̎̚t̨i̛̩͉͓̮͉͛͑̽̿ͭ͗ō̮̳̠̰̭̦̺̎n̢̘̄͛ͫͩ: ̋͡7̥̣͓̱̙ͭͯͦ̊6̸̠̳͊̋͛͌̓ͤ̚%̱̤͒̑̕**

.

My stomach clenched, spikes of agony lancing through my skull. I heaved, half-digested meat splattering the glass in front of me. Shivers wracked my frame, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as if I were about to be struck by lightning. My eyesight blurred, and my tenuous link with my Eyes dissolved. I gasped for air as liquid fire ran through my veins, my head throbbing as my sight blurred.

 **S̕͏y̶̷̧̧͜n̷̕͟͡c̷͟͠h́͏̛r̛̛ò̴́̕n͘͜͜͡͞i̕͜z̸̧̛̛a͏̕t̨̡͏i͏͡͞͞͏o̸͠͝n̵̡̢͢: ̵̧̀9̸͘2̵̡̀͝%̸͞҉́**

My mind _screamed_ as something tore into it, latching on like a parasitic leech. I could feel my mana fighting it, trying to kill whatever it was that was harming me. Blood gushed from my eyes, and I glimpsed one rapidly spinning Mangekyō in a piece of warped glass. I vomited once more, sweat pouring from my brow.

 **D͡͞i̧s̡s̷҉͡o͡l̴̨v̴͝͡į̷ņģ͢ ̸̛͡im̵̨͟p͞o̴̧r̷͟t̵͏e̵d͏́͟ ̸̨͢m͜͞at̴̶̛r̴̡i͏͘x͠**

I felt a good chunk of my mana leave me, and the slimy feeling of whatever had attached itself to my mind seemed to disappear. It no longer felt like a parasite, or even like a living creature. It just… sat there. Like a disgusting slug.

 **I͢n̶̢͘t͏͘èg̸ra̸҉t̷i͞n̶g ̢̡҉e͘x̢i͢s̶̵ti̵̢n̵̕͡ģ̴͠ ́͘m̵̀aţ̕r̀ì͜x**

My eyes _burned_. I probably screamed, but at that point I didn't care. I felt blood gushing from between my closed fingers as I clutched at my sockets, wordless agony tearing from my lips. I felt my magic _pull_ something from me, much the same as it had when I first tried to use Divination. It came easily, yet I felt that whatever it was merely wanted to examine it. A moment later, there was a _click_ , like snapping something into place, and the pain stopped.

 **Co͠m̶ple҉t͘e͏.**

Blood ceased flowing from between my fingers, and I hesitantly pulled my hands away. There, swimming before my gaze, were several lines of spidery, shimmering text.

 **[All conditions have been met.]  
[Blessing 'Spider's Eyes' has been assimilated into The Dream.]  
[Side-effects of the Blessing 'Spider's Eyes' have been negated by 'Curse of the ?' and Title.]**

I felt control of my eyes return to me, the Kangeki ceasing to draw on my mana as it returned to its' original form. I blinked, the odd text dissolving into nothingness. New text replaced it.

 **[Inheritance complete.]  
[Racial ability has activated.]  
[Assimilation has ceased.]**

 _Name: Dee  
Title: ?  
Race: ?  
Level: 25_

 _Status:_

 _-Malnourished (Severe) (-20 to all physical Talent Values)  
-Curse of the ? (PERMENANT) (Negates all mental inhibitions and influences, both positive and negative)  
-?'s Endless Hunger (PERMANANT)(NEGATED BY TITLE)  
-?'s Freezing Chill (PERMANANT)_

 _Talent Values:_

 _MP: 155/155  
Physical Attack: 40 (60)  
Physical Defense: 5 (25)  
Magical Attack: 70  
Magical Resistance: 55  
Speed: 30 (50)_

 _Total Value_

 _Abilities:_

 _-Attack Magic (All) {Mystic} Lv3_

 _-Archery {Legendary} Lv3_

 _-Smithing {Legendary} Lv92_

 _-Devour LvMAX_

 _-Spider's Eyes LvMAX_

 _-? {Godly} LvMAX_

 _-Music Proficiency LvMAX_

I blinked. _Holy shit._ Is this some kind of joke? Spider's Eyes lets me see statsheets? No. That would make no sense. A spider wouldn't know what numbers even _are_ , much less how to use them. It's probably some kind of scrying ability, like clairvoyance.

I scanned back over my recent memories, looking for some clue. There was that one message about 'Integrating the existing matrix'. Is that what it meant? Did it use my knowledge to make a version of the ability that I could understand? That would make sense, it _was_ a blessing. Albeit a really shitty one. I mean, really? 'Side-effects negated'?

Fucking spider…

That aside, the question marks covering my statsheet are downright ominous. 'Curse of the ?' and '?'s Freezing Chill' probably referred to either my title or my race, both of which being question marks. But what about the one unknown ability? I kind of wished it actually _explained_ that kind of thing, but that would just be stupid.

I mean honestly, definitive numbers and complete explanations for every single skill I have? That would just be stupidly overpowered. This is a scrying ability for God's sake, not a God-Tier omnipotent all-seeing eye. It's a _guess_ , naming each ability according to both what I know and what the blessing tells me. The sheet even calls my stats 'Talent Values', further driving home how uncertain this thing is.

I sighed, finding the mental trigger to 'dismiss' the 'screen'. Immediately, another line of text scrawled across my vision.

 **[Devour and ? have joined to create a new ability!]**

 **[Memorial Lv1]**

 **[Memorial has leveled up! Lv1→ Lv3]**

 **[Memorial has activated!]**

 **[Memorial—For the love of spiders!]  
[Choose one of the following bonuses.]**

 **1\. Spear Mastery {Basic} Lv13  
2\. Venom Resist {Basic} Lv5  
3\. Lesser Regeneration {Basic} LvMAX→ Regeneration {Mid} LvMAX→ Greater Regeneration{Advanced} Lv27  
4\. Agility +5**

I blinked. Regeneration? Huh. What exactly did I have to regenerate during my walk? Why not give me 'Free Running' or something?

 _'Maybe there's a condition for Memorial to activate. It did say that 'Devour' helped to create it, so… ingestion? The Phlegethon? Did that cause it?'_

I glanced over to the merrily bubbling stream of liquid fire. It didn't help much. No mystical insights from my new Spider's eyes. Damn.

I turned my attention back to the spidery text, knowing my decision already. The highest-level skill was also the most useful, so I tried focusing on it. It immediately glowed, and the writing cleared.

 **[Regeneration has partially negated the effects of '?'!]  
[Remaining uses of '?'—11→ 34]**

Nothing else happened, so I staggered to my feet. Whatever '?' was, it was apparently a lot more useful now. Yaaay. Still not worth the agony and excessive vomiting.

I turned, eyes widening as I saw Tartarus once more, this time with eyes capable of seeing the inhabitants. And let me tell you, Tartarus is _stuffed_ with monsters. A lumbering cyclops stomped along in front of me, a harpy carrying a large scroll swooping low. A flame-covered fish-dog thing climbed out of the Phlegethon, shaking itself off and brushing past me without so much as a glance in my direction. Activating Spider's Eyes, I concentrated on the thing that had just crawled out of the river.

 **(Dog of the Pit)  
[Telkhine]  
[Lv. 82]  
{Status: N/A}**

…All right, apparently the fish-dog thing is a monster capable of killing me in less than a heartbeat. Tell me something I didn't know. Like, say, why it _didn't_ kill me. That would be extremely helpful. Seriously, isn't he half-dog? His nose should be able to let him pick up the scent of human at fifty meters, never mind _right next to me_.

But wait. My 'Race' didn't label me as human. So… what was I?

I shook my head. No point in aimless conjecture. I had to find some way to—

"Excuse me, dearie, but you seem lost." An old, crackling voice interrupted my train of thought.

I blinked, turning to the side. A dark-skinned, wrinkled woman with batlike wings stood, looking up at me from her shriveled face. "Ah… yes. I am."

She nodded, and I concentrated on her.

 **(Spirit of the Curse)  
[Arai]  
[Lv. 54]  
{Status: N/A}**

…Yeowch. Even the old ladies can kick my ass.

She smiled thinly at me. "Might I be of assistance?" She asked, voice a soft creak.

I blinked. "Yes, actually. Would you mind telling me why no one has attacked me yet?"

She laughed croakily. "Oh, you must be new here. Honestly, those gods… they send them down younger every year." She turned, gesturing to the huge crowd of monsters. "These are the denizens of the Pit. All of them, each and every one, are the result of a god's curse. But because of what they are, they must follow the Ancient Laws."

I nodded slowly. "And… those are?"

"Simple, dearie." She smiled. "The Law of the Harvest. The Law of the Djinn. The Law of the Contract. All of the denizens must follow these laws."

"The Law of the Harvest?" I asked, guessing that the other two were self-explanatory.

"The most basic of all laws." She croaked. "You reap only what you sow. We are all protected by this law, and as such, we all fall under its' jurisdiction."

"What _is_ the law?" I asked, irritated.

"All the creatures of the Pit must abide by it, even those who come from the outside." She repeated. "So long as it is kept, your safety is assured. The specifics are complex, but the main idea is as thus: don't bother us and we won't bother you. We repay violence for violence, mischief for mischief, magic for magic. We will not initiate trouble so long as you do not allow us grounds. However, should you provoke action against the least of our ilk, you open the door for even greater retribution from every other creature here."

I felt a chill. These are monsters, with more strength in their pinky than I have in my entire body. I would not _survive_ retribution.

An old memory surfaced, skills I'd almost forgotten suddenly dusted off and shelved. My mind slowly creaked to life, my mindset as a former Revere kicking in to dissect the bat-lady's words. Thought Acceleration, a spell I'd all but ignored for the past few months, snapped into high gear as my mind tried to accelerate beyond its' natural limits.

Retribution would likely be these monsters' specialty—they've been trapped here for longer than Christianity has been alive. Knowing this, I have the distinct feeling that the smallest scratch on one of the monsters gave them full license to 'scratch' me with their bigger, longer claws. And God forbid that I actually _killed_ one of them.

Law of the Contract was probably a way for monsters to trick unsuspecting prey. Each monster might have their own separate contract, which dictated what was and wasn't allowed. A contract that the monsters conveniently _didn't_ mention. That way, they could carefully wait until the contract was complete, then claim their prize. Several of the meaner gangs in Naskapi had a similar law, a way of gaining honor and rising up the ranks through courage and cunning.

Law of the Djinn, judging by the name, probably meant that your requests were entirely up to the monster's interpretation. It meant that, say, asking one of them to pick you up for a better view would let them pick you up by the neck.

Actually, come to think of it, this was probably what the spider used to get me the first time through. It gave me exactly what I asked for, it just didn't mention that what I asked for would kill me. And since a corpse isn't covered under the Laws, it was fully within its' rights to eat me. It might've even used a clause in its' contract for extra leeway as soon as I gave my permission.

So… I guess that's a thing.

…

…

…

Fuck off, I've been trapped in a cave, bored out of my skull and freezing my ass off for the past half year. Pardon me if my 'people skills' aren't up to snuff. I was more excited to talk to another living being than scared of the consequences.

Something that had been rattling around in the back of my mind since Memory Partition activated finally surfaced. If all monsters had contracts… then what was the old lady's?

I slowed my mind, subtly reaching into my pocket and brushing my fingertips against my Gem Artifact. I was quickly realizing exactly how _stupid_ I had been. Now I just had to hope that I was wrong about the seemingly nice old lady.

The Arai sighed, wings shifting. "My apologies, dearie, but I'm afraid our time is up." She fluttered her wings, taking to the air.

I watched as she left, slightly disbelieving. After the near heart attack she just gave me, she was just going to _fly away_? Not that I had a problem with that, but…

"Excuse me!" A hoarse voice cut through the clamor. "Would one of you strapping young men mind helping me for a moment?"

I froze, jerking my spear out of the Gem and bracing it into position in one fluid movement. One of the larger monsters, an ogre, turned to squint at the Arai. "Whatchoo want?" He grunted, scratching his hairy bum.

The old lady smiled sweetly. "Well, I'm afraid the catch I reeled in is a bit too big for the likes of me. So why don't you help an old bat like me?" Her smile turned unpleasant. "I'll split it with you if you catch it for me~!"

The brute cracked a wide grin. "Ugnar will help old woman, if old woman shares food."

The Arai cackled. "Good, good! I cede partial rights to my catch in exchange for your aid. Is this permissible?"

"Permiss'ble." The ogre replied, stumbling over the word.

She fluttered down to rest on his shoulder. "Good." She pointed a gnarled finger in my direction. "He's right there."

 _'…Sometimes I hate being right.'_ I grumbled, speeding up my thoughts once more. _'All right, so what do I have?'_ I summed up a mental list, slightly disappointed by how short it was. _'A Gem full of weapons I'm too weak to use, an arsenal of spells that I don't even know if I can cast anymore, and a spear that's too costly to properly activate. Fuck. Can I Reinforce?'_ I eyed my skinny form. _'I doubt it. It's been too long, and I don't know how much my body can handle. Maybe a bit, but I think that if I use more than the bare minimum, my limbs will start exploding.'_

I grit my teeth, forcing my inert Circuits to life for the first time in months. Pain lanced through my entire body, but it was quickly soothed by a wave of energy from within my chest. I filed that away for later investigation, instead focusing on my current situation.

I squinted, powering my eyes as I focused on the lumbering brute.

 **(If it moves, hit it. If it doesn't move, hit it until it moves.)  
[Ugnar]  
[Lv. 95]  
{Status: Hungry}**

…Fuck. Shit. Shitfuck. Why the hell do I always manage to get in these situations? This guy is going to _destroy_ me.

I glanced at my blood-red spear. _'Well, at least I read up on how to use this thing before the incident. It would suck to be left with a pointy stick and no clue how to use it.'_

I focused power into my legs, then burst into action. I crossed the space between the cyclops and myself with surprising speed, bracing the spear as I aimed for his heart—

And was promptly smashed with a casual backhand.

I bounced multiple times, groaning as I felt my already weak bones pop from the strain. I struggled to my feet, using my spear to prop myself up as I looked up at the approaching monster. Ugnar laughed, not bothering to rush. I felt my ribs begin to pop back into place, miniature bursts of pain accompanying each one. I grinned, bloodied teeth showing as I straightened. Apparently 'Greater Regeneration' isn't just for show. I charged once more, ducking the initial backhand and slashing sideways with my lance—

Ow.

Stars burst across my vision as I felt something impact my head with the force of a speeding train. Both of my legs snapped like brittle twigs, and I could actually feel the broken bones puncturing my skin as the blow smashed me into the ground. I barely managed to glance up in time to see a large foot crash into my chest.

…You know, the Kangeki does jack shit when your opponent is stronger, faster, and all-around better than you in every conceivable way.

I felt my lungs collapse and my heart pop as the cyclops stepped on me, his enormous weight flattening my ribcage like a pancake. Then he reached down and _pulled_ , my neck screaming and my flesh parting. My head came off with a hollow tearing noise, and my vision darkened.

Then, blackness.

I opened my eyes to see the river of flames once more. My limbs failed me as the trauma of the past five minutes crashed into my skull full-force. There was no vomiting this time, but my knees still got cut up. I focused on the pain in my knees, using it to ground me in the present as I tried to understand what had happened.

I was dead… and then I wasn't.

The first time, I was inclined to think it an accident on my part, a Path-Walk gone too far. But now? It was undeniable. I had gone back, back to the same exact moment as I had the first time. Back to the moment that… what? What had I done? Did someone cast a spell on me here? Did I eat something odd? Did I trigger some ancient curse?

No… I remember this place. It was the place I had triggered my Mangekyō.

My Mangekyō.

My breath caught in my chest. I never had figured out my Mangekyō's ability, no matter how many times I tried to use it. I knew that it would have something to do with time due to the Author's cryptic advice, but beyond that I was clueless. I'd never been able to use it before, no matter how hard I tried, and I definitely would've noticed being able to time travel.

…But what if, rather than allowing me to travel freely along the timeline, it only set 'flags' for me to travel back to?

One of the Author's warnings whispered through my mind.

 _…the price of the Eyes is both steep and permanent, preventing you from forgetting or changing the events that changed them. Even should you unlock the Mangekyō, the Eyes will never give back what you have sacrificed. Even should you gain a time-based technique, you will never be able to use it to resurrect the dead._

That's it. The catch. I can never go further back than my last 'flag', no matter what. And since my Mangekyō only unlocked during the cave-in, the latest I could possibly go back is the moment of Carn's death, when the ceiling was still collapsing.

Damn. That's harsh. What if I save before I realize I made a mistake? What if I die before I can save, and have to re-do months of work? What if I get captured rather than killed, and my ability can't bring me back? This ability restores my mind to my former body, but what if someone shreds my mind? Would I remain a mindless vegetable for the rest of my existence, or would I 'respawn' with my mind intact?

As hax as this ability might seem, it's severely nerfed by the sheer connotations.

I took a deep breath, opening my eyes once more. Hazy script greeted me.

 **[Due to the intense emotional trauma you have experienced, the Eyes of Misery have amplified your abilities once more! All physical abilities will now be 10% easier to get.]**

 **[Memorial has leveled up! Lv3→ Lv5]**

 **[Memorial has activated!]**

 **[Memorial—There was an old lady with wings of a bat…]  
[Choose two of the following bonuses.]**

 **1\. Spear Mastery {Basic} Lv52  
2\. Greater Regeneration{Advanced} Lv27→ Lv34  
3\. Agility +13**

I blinked. Suddenly, I had the distinct feeling that integrating Spider's Eyes with my memories had given it my sense of humor. That's going to either get really annoying, or be absolutely hilarious.

Sighing, I chose the Spear Mastery and Agility. With my Kangeki, I had managed to read the cyclops's movements to the point that I was delivering the perfect strikes with pinpoint accuracy. If they had landed, I'm sure Ugnar would've been instantly incapacitated. That kind of skill, if developed enough, could probably be used to bridge the gap between levels.

That Regen boost, tho…

I stood, feeling my skin knit back together as I brushed myself off. At this point, I'm sure that the ? ability is the one granted by my Mangekyō.

I concentrated on myself, lines of spidery text writing themselves in the air.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: ?  
Race: ?  
Level: 27_

 _Status:_

 _-Malnourished (Severe) (-20 to all physical Talent Values)  
-Curse of the ? (PERMENANT) (Negates all mental inhibitions and influences, both positive and negative)  
-?'s Endless Hunger (PERMANANT)(NEGATED BY TITLE)  
-?'s Freezing Chill (PERMANANT)_

 _Talent Values:_

 _MP: 155/155  
Physical Attack: 45 (60)  
Physical Defense: 10 (30)  
Magical Attack: 70  
Magical Resistance: 55  
Agility: 47 (67)_

 _Total Value_

 _Abilities:_

 _-Attack Magic (All) {Mystic} Lv5_

 _-Archery {Legendary} Lv3_

 _-Greater Regeneration {Advanced} Lv27_

 _-Smithing {Legendary} Lv92_

 _-Devour LvMAX_

 _-Spider's Eyes LvMAX_

 _-Music Proficiency LvMAX_

 _-Memento Mori {Godly} LvMAX_

 _-Memorial Lv5/20_

Huh. My stats rose, as did my level. Going by game terms, one 'levels up' through 'experience'. And since what I gain every run is 'experience', my relative level of power raises.

Too bad this isn't a game, though.

But… this _is_ spammable.

I turned, looking through the crowd and pulling out my spear. If I played this right… well. The Kangeki allows me to learn physical skills at a phenomenal rate. Even if I don't have the raw speed I need to wield a spear, I can still kill someone through trickery or pure skill.

And besides… who says I can't use Memorial more than once? I did see something about 'charges' after all.

I grinned, spotting my target. I stepped forward, clearing my throat. "Excuse me! Noble warrior!" I called, projecting my voice.

Most monsters didn't even pause, and even fewer even glanced at me. Ugnar, however, turned to look down at me. "Who you talking to?" He asked, voice guttural and deep.

I looked up at him. He was eight feet and change, easily towering over me. "I have an offer for you."

He grunted. "Arright. Sure." He eyed me. "But what can shrimpy you offer mighty Ugnar?"

I smiled up at him. Time to roll for bullshit. "I can give you a way to heal from any wound, no matter how severe."

Ugnar frowned. "Wait… really? But Ugnar can already heal."

I nodded. "So you can. But how long does it take?"

His eyes glazed over. "Uuuh… a while?"

I continued smiling, my red eyes spinning. "What if I told you I used this method to heal instantly."

Ugnar lit up. "Really?"

I nodded. "I'll even make it better." I tapped the butt of my spear against the ground. "If you train me and keep me alive for the next month, I'll give you one favor."

Ugnar's face spread into a nasty grin. "Ugnar agrees. One month. No more. Then favor."

I smiled internally. The big idiot was ridiculously easy to manipulate, especially when one was used to playing the game with crime lords, gang leaders, and mob bosses. "Deal."

Ugnar turned. "Arright, shrimpy you. Let's train."

* * *

Predictably, Ugnar used his 'one favor' to score a killing blow on me the instant the month was up. I didn't even stop him, knowing that he was aiming to make my death quick in case I tried to fight back.

And so, I found myself staring into the river of fire once more. My skull throbbed as the phantom pain of Ugnar's fist hit me, but I managed to keep my nausea down to a minimum. I concentrated, powering my eyes, and the familiar spidery text crawled across my vision.

 **[Memorial has leveled up! Lv5→ Lv10]**

 **[Memorial has activated!]**

 **[Memorial—Some- _body_ once told me the wooorld ain't gonna roll me, I ain't the sharpest tool in the sheeed…]  
[Choose three of the following bonuses.]**

 **1\. Spear Mastery {Basic} LvMAX→ Spear Mastery {Mid} LvMAX→ Spear Mastery {Advanced} LvMAX→ Spear Mastery {Mystic} LvMAX→ Spear Mastery {Legendary} Lv16  
2\. Greater Regeneration {Advanced} Lv27→ Lv64  
3\. Agility +104  
4\. Pain Resistance {Basic} LvMAX→ Pain Resistance {Mid} Lv25  
5\. Swordsmanship {Basic} LvMAX→ Swordsmanship {Mid} Lv34**

…Well fuck you, too, then.

I grumbled to myself, automatically choosing Spear Mastery and Agility. I was torn between Regeneration and Swordsmanship, until I realized I could gain levels in Swordsmanship much more easily than I could Regeneration. That put me in a fairly stable place, skill-wise.

 **[Regeneration has partially negated the effects of 'Memento Mori'!]  
[Remaining uses of 'Memento Mori'—32→37]**

I waved away the text, rubbing my temples.

While I had been training with Ugnar, I didn't need sleep like he did. So while he slumbered, I used my Regeneration to power-level my magical stats using the Phlegethon. My mana value seemed to be calculated as (my level*5)+30, but I didn't know if that was because of a flaw in the scrying method, or just a general estimate given my power level.

I was somewhat frustrated to see that only the gains that I had worked for stayed rather than the ones I got from eating the Devil, but that was easily remedied. By the time I finished my 'meal', my mana pool would be multiplied by a factor of ten.

I decided not to waste any more lives before doing anything, especially seeing as it seemed I had only 37 to spare. But still, that doesn't mean I can't take any chances at all. From what I remember, the Arai waited until I had asked three questions to turn on me, so that's probably a part of her contract.

I stood where I was until the Arai landed next to me, but I asked my first question before she could say a word. "Do you know what I am?"

The Arai blinked, croaking out a slow reply. "Cursed one. Frost spirit with a heart of ice. Pale skin, red eyes."

I frowned. "You're going to have to give me more than that."

She looked irritated. "Wendigo. Once human, transformed into a creature by the use of magic. A Wendigo is created whenever a human trapped within the bitter cold resorts to cannibalism to survive."

I froze. That… was disturbingly accurate.

"The Wendigo possesses supernatural abilities that make it impossible to escape. A hunter, immune to even the harshest climates. In addition, all Wendigos can Curse. It is an ability they possess inherently, a part of their being that none can deny."

She tapped the side of her nose, looking thoughtful. "Wendigos, while terrible, are least dangerous right after they are created. This is because the longer a Wendigo walks the earth, the stronger its powers become. The savage creature can eventually gain the ability to control the weather and to call upon darkness before sunset. The Wendigo also gains the ability to manipulate others and mimic human voices to lure the unwary to their doom. Its' speed and strength grow with age, as does its' ability to heal."

 _'My Devour ability.'_ I thought, a chill running down my spine. _'A Wendigo that Devours a human gets all its' stats. A Wendigo that Devours an entire village could easily be strong enough to match a small army.'_

I've never heard of Wendigos before, though the name definitely didn't sound European or Japanese. I made a mental note to check the Book later, just to see what the Author had to say on the subject.

I scryed myself once more, a sinking feeling in my gut.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: What Doesn't Kill You Hurts Like Hell  
Race: Wendigo  
Level: 36_

 _Status:_

 _-Malnourished (Advanced) (-15 to all physical Talent Values)  
-Curse of the Wendigo (PERMENANT) (Negates all mental inhibitions and influences, both positive and negative)  
-Wendigo's Endless Hunger (PERMANANT)(NEGATED BY TITLE)  
-Wendigo's Freezing Chill (PERMANANT)_

…Oh. Well. Fuck. Apparently I'm a cannibal spirit, now.

…I'm strangely okay with this.

Oh, well. At least my Title seems to block the worst of it. I wonder what a Title is in real-world terms?

 _'Ah, to hell with it. Might as well ask.'_

"What is a Title?"

She tilted her head. "A title?" She croaked. "What mean you?"

I frowned. "A Title. Like… what others call you. What you are. You're a Spirit of the Curse, and that Telkhine is a Dog of the Pit."

"Ah, you mean a Legacy." She smiled a toothless grin. "A Legacy is the space one holds in reality, and as such, is the easiest thing to scry. To exist is to make a Legacy, for good or for ill." She paused, scratching her sunken cheek. "The more one forms one's Legacy, the more they are able to change the world around them. One with a Legacy of Steel would be able to bend all steel to their whims, and one with a Legacy of Fire would be immune to flames."

 _'…Well, I guess that makes sense. Now, for my final question.'_

"What would it take you to leave me alone?" I asked, slipping a hand in my pocket.

She blinked in surprise. "Oh? You wish to bargain?"

I nodded. She chuckled, a screechy noise that grated on my eardrums. "Very well. What can you offer me?"

I eyed her, the beginnings of a plan forming in my mind. "I… I can offer you beauty."

She stiffened. "You what?"

"You said that all Wendigos can Curse, right?" I asked, silently hoping that I wasn't some bizarre exception to this rule. "Beauty is a curse. The more the beauty, the worse the curse."

She eyed me. "…You are serious?" She asked, an odd tone in her voice.

I nodded. "In exchange for all debts between us being cancelled, I will curse you with beauty. But." I levelled her with an even stare. "I don't know what the hell it'll even _do_ to you. It is a curse, after all."

She smiled toothlessly. "I care not. Should you do as you say, all debts will be cancelled."

I nodded, hesitating slightly. "And… I would ask a favor."

"Anything." She croaked.

I was taken aback by her instant reply, but continued regardless. "Can you get me something that came from a Dragon? A tooth, a claw, a shed skin?"

She bobbed her head. "I know a place. I shall do this. Now. Curse me."

I smiled, inwardly sweating buckets. Time for the moment of truth. I extended a hand, resting it on her forehead… and Cursed her.

I really can't describe the experience properly. It was like… like someone covered my body in ice, and I was only freezing the other person because they were nearby. Nevertheless, it still worked exactly like it should. Even as power flowed out of me, the Arai _changed_. What was once a bag of wrinkles, was now youthfully smooth. Pure, snow-white skin covered her entire body, and her eyes were chips of ice framed by white hair.

 **(Spirit of the Curse)  
[Arai]  
[Lv. 54]  
{Status: Cursed (Winter Beauty)}**

She was a young woman, looking to be in her teens or early twenties, with a full figure and a simple white dress. She blinked in shock, stepping away from my outstretched hand as she examined herself. Then, she spread her wings and took off.

I sighed, watching her go. The energy that Curse had taken from me had not been small.

I glanced down my statsheet.

 _MP: 45/195_

Yep. Definitely not small. I could power the basic attack of Gáe Bolg three times for that much.

I wondered if I was an amoral asshat for not warning her that most male monsters here would happily rape her.

I glanced down at my abnormally high Agility. Agility borne from many, many painful nights.

Nah. She had it coming. She did agree to be Cursed by someone she was about to kill, after all. Karma's a bitch, and it was only thanks to Ugnar that I learned of the way monsters bred. If she hadn't set him on me in the first place, then this never would've happened.

Now… to work.

After the last of my mana recovered, I activated my Mangekyō, concentrating and pouring power into them. I felt a tug around my navel, as if a rope were being attached, and smiled. Save complete. Now, for the main event.

I pulled out my bow, which had been unused this entire time, as well as one of my specialty 'arrows'. It was, in actuality, a long sword with a thin hilt and blue highlights. The blade was coiled into a perfect spiral, gradually shrinking until it reached a point.

Let me tell you, this thing was a pain in the ass to make.

I knelt and knocked it like one would an arrow, relying on the premade groove in the handle as a guide, and gathered my power. As I drew it back, I poured mana into it, using Reinforcement to alter it. It stretched, the already coiled metal tightening until it resembled an arrow more than a blade. And then, gritting my teeth in concentration, I Broke it.

The following burst of power blew back the ash and dirt around me in waves, rustling my hair and knocking back a few of the smaller monsters as red streaks of power gathered around me. By now, I had attracted quite a lot of attention, but I didn't care. As the coils of my arrow began to glow with blue light, I bellowed its' name and fired it. "CALADBOLG!"

A blue corona surrounded the arrow as it fired, its' coils causing the projectile to spiral, twisting a distortion in space as it flew. A group of cyclopes were unfortunate enough to get caught in its' path and were twisted along with the space, leaving bloody trails of destruction and showers of gore.

The ground cracked, a ripple of pure force cracking the ground and lifting boulders the size of me into the air, the resulting incendiary force using the path of least resistance to flow underneath the now-airborne rocks in a wave of fiery death. The smoke cloud formed high in the air, twin condensation rings rippling outward. A moment of pure silence followed, deafening in its' suddenness as a brilliant flash of blue light glowed for miles around.

And then it exploded.

The blast tore through the earth, expanding from its' initial diameter of roughly ten meters to over a hundred in less than an instant. A spiral-shaped ribbon of smoke curled around the ball of energy, slowly dispersing as the shockwave hit, breaking bones and shattering teeth. The ball of energy persisted for a while, lazily growing larger and larger as it turned from an angry red to a cool blue. A warped hilt bounced away from the wreckage, burnt and melted beyond repair.

I grinned in satisfaction. Hard to make, harder to use properly, expensive mana-wise, but sooo worth it.

Caladborg itself is actually extremely impractical to use as a sword. It has a short reach and its' shape mean that it can't really be used to cut or slash things. It can really only be used to stab someone from close range, and even then, it would get stuck inside their chest due to the ridges preventing it from being pulled out. But as an arrow? Even if it destroys the blade, as an arrow it's way more efficient based on its shape alone, never mind the space-warping properties or magically assisted speed.

Whoever Archer was, he was a fucking genius. Sniping people with magical nukes with the force of Castle Bravo is just plain awesome. I just wish I was good enough to make some of the other blades he had warped into projectiles.

…Wait.

I pulled up my stats, feeling a sudden rush of wind as the blast disintegrated, air whooshing back in to fill the void with yet another shockwave.

 _-Smithing {Legendary} Lv93_

…

…

…

 _'I wonder if you can use the Phlegethon as a forge?'_

I took out another arrow, modifying it and drawing it back. Before I do any more work, I'd like to engage in some cathartic bombing. Caladbolg II leaves a blast crater around two thousand meters in diameter and seventy-five meters in depth. By the time I'm done, I should have picked off enough of the monsters to face the rest as they inevitably come to take my head.

I estimate that I'll start to crack at about four hundred on one.

I let the arrow fly.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **I have returned! The cliffhanger has been resolved! Let there be cheers and rejoicing and-**

 **Oh. Right. Dee's still screwed. Never mind.  
**

 **REVIEWS:**

 **Nanayakiri:**

 **It really isn't. But if nothing else, the characters in my fics are _experts_ at weaponizing insanity.  
**

 **chessru:**

 **Thanks for the advice! I tried to keep Dee's character consistent with his upbringing, hence all the cussing, but I guess that was unnecessary for that scene.  
**

 **Have a Percy Jackson reference as thanks.**

 **Hashirama 1710:**

 ** **Yes, the two exist in the same world. I'm not going to be re-using the Reality Marble idea, so the casts of UtV and CtD are going to be on two different ends of a spectrum when it comes to their abilities. Millicas uses intellegence-based magic, and Dee uses intent/instinct-based magic.  
****

 ** **Guest:****

 ** **XD. Trinity seven is one of my inspirations, so I won't deny borrowing the idea from that franchise. Just don't expect me to use Magic Kings or anything.****


	6. Life is a mess, and we're stuck in it

**Chapter 5: Life is but a _shitty mess_ , not a game. Take it from me, that's not a fun mistake to make.**

* * *

As it turns out, you could indeed use the Phlegethon as a forge. Who knew?

Anyway. With my Curse ability, it was almost ridiculously easy to reproduce some of the nastier weapons. Apparently, due to my high proficiency with Attack Magic, which Curse falls under, I could Curse an object with even the most obscure of maladies. Combined with Devil magic, which appeared to be based entirely off of imagination, I didn't even have to try that hard. Of course, this shortcut guaranteed that the resulting weapon would make the user's life absolute hell, but that didn't matter if it was being used as a one-shot missile.

For instance, did you know that there was a demonic sword from the Nibelungen that both drives the wielder to ruin due to a powerful curse of " _reparation,_ " and also possesses a completely separate curse that makes the sword impossible to return to its sheath until it kills at least one other being? A lovely little thing called Dáinsleif, which drove its owner to madness back in the day. But when used as a projectile and Broken, it turns into a homing missile that creates an explosion large enough to level half an army.

…All right, so _maybe_ I was enjoying this more than I should have. I was just letting off some steam while enjoying the ability to actually do something for a change. I was also slightly pissed that I couldn't make Hrunting yet. Every time I had tried, it had turned out significantly weaker than I had intended, and often fell apart mid-flight.

Fuck Archer. This was _hard._ And I was a master smith! How much skill did I need?

I sighed, watching the Cursed Arai fly away once more. I'd used ten lives now, just exploring the Pit and searching for a way out. I didn't learn anything close to what I wanted, but I did learn where all of the big nasties hid. And unfortunately, as one life had taught me, hydras were immune to aerial bombardment. Also, those things are a hell of a lot faster than they look. By the time the blast wave had cleared, I was missing the top half of my body. And even if I did have incredible regeneration, being blasted by seven separate elements while being drenched in acid would kill even the most resilient of regenerators.

There were actually a disturbing number of monsters who were capable of one-shotting me. Even through my various abilities and disturbingly high regeneration, the fuckers always found a way. Drakkons could drench me in acid, several creatures had venom that turned my regeneration against me, and Medusa just plain _cheated_. And that wasn't even _counting_ the living cheat codes like Scylla or the Stymphalian Birds. (Names were helpfully provided to me by a very large python. I killed it right after it tried to swallow me whole.)

Side note, did you know that Typhon had children? I didn't before, but I sure did now. And let me tell you, of the few I'd met, they were all disgustingly overpowered. I'd been told that one of them was even a mini-Typhon, but I wisely avoided meeting it in person. If the gods themselves feared that thing, then I probably stood a burrito's chance in Von's forge.

Despite getting used to death, however, I was still terrified of dying. Wanna know why?

 ***The Eyes of Misery have been damaged***

 **-The power 'Memento Mori' has been nullified.**

 **-The power 'Memorial' has been nullified.**

 **-The power 'Spider's Eyes' has been nullified.**

 ***Regeneration time: 3d 4h 5m***

Yeah. If my eyes got damaged when I died, I got a fucking _respawn timer_. And not the kind that helpfully kept you in a black void. No, this thing left me to the mercy of Tartarus for the entire time that my Eyes took to fix themselves. And what was worse- I was less than useless without Spider's Eyes, which, you guessed it, were also tied to my eyes.

I was a _Wendigo_. That means that without my Eyes, I was basically a glass cannon. And worse? I was incapable of feeling anything. _Anything_. My kind is so crippled due to our… well… _undeath_ that we couldn't even understand the difference in power levels- or even magic types. That was why my Spider's Eyes made everything look like a game screen: that's _all they could do_. And when you're half-blind and stumbling through the Pit of the Damned, unable to even know where the monsters around you stood, much less about how strong they are, it's _scary_. And I'm not talking the conventional levels of scary. We're talking late-night horror film-gone-wrong scary. The kind that makes you scared to _breathe_ let alone _move_. But you have to keep moving, because to stay still is to die.

If I weren't _forcing_ myself to be scared, I wouldn't feel fear either. Do you know how alarming it is to not feel fear? Fear is what tells your body 'hey, dumbass, GET OUT OF HERE!' I was walking _blind_ through a pit of monsters. I _should_ have been scared. I _wanted_ to be scared. After all… what killed the most of my kind wasn't the threat of a higher being. It was when they didn't know that the other thing _was_ a higher being, and they attacked it without knowing. Without _fearing_. So I feared. I feared, and I tried to keep my spirits up, because if I gave up for even a _moment_ it would be over. So even if I came across as being unconcerned with my surroundings, I was truly _scared out of my skin_. I just had to smile and joke, else I'd fall into despair.

During the times that I actually had my powers, I did my damnedest to avoid treating it like a game. It might've seemed like an RPG, but it sure as hell wasn't one. All I had were a pair of magic eyes and a power that let me use Scrying Magic even though I was a Diviner. Not some God-level hax powers, just a small boost that let me get out of situations alive.

 _'And speaking of being a Diviner, this whole 'escaping the Pit' thing would be a hell of a lot easier if my Sight did anything worth a damn,'_ I griped. _'Fucking Pit...'_

I shook off my thoughts, my mind slowing back to normal speeds as I concentrated on the present. I set the half-finished blade beside me and rose, heading over to my fragile hovel. It was positioned on the other side of the Phlegathon, where most monsters couldn't go. I was immune to the toxins of Hell that had to potential to kill the majority of the Pit dwellers, so it was a simple decision to make my home in Hell rather than in Tartarus. I made a few bargains with monsters on the other side to get the materials to construct my little home, and it was fairly easy to get food around here.

After all, the Seventh Circle of Hell housed murderers, profligates, blasphemers, and rapists. And if I couldn't eat criminals, then who _would_ I eat? The monsters who could destroy me in a moment? The broken glass at my feet? No thanks, I'll stick to the damned. Disembodied souls or not, they all tasted the exact same.

The trick is _finding_ the fuckers.

If you think back, you'll remember that Spider's Eyes was the only thing that allowed me to see the supernatural phenomena around me. Apparently being an atheist counted for _something_ , at least. I suppose if I were to just pick a faith, I wouldn't have to re-enact The Invisible Man. But as an atheist, as long as I didn't hurt the monsters around me, my inability to see them rendered all but the most powerful unable to touch me. I didn't know who enforced the Laws, but whoever they were, they had my thanks.

I picked up my backpack, grabbing a handful of jerky to munch on as I planned my next steps. I had a few days left until my timer ran out and I could get back to looking for a way back to the Underworld. Until then, I was stuck grinding skills and trying to figure out how to better craft the likes of Balmung and Ascalon.

In my downtime, I tried to figure out how my powers worked. From what I understood from my various tests, my Kangeki worked on the principle of storing memories and sending them back in time. Simple, efficient, and easily done. I hadn't yet figured out the means by which it sent my power back as well, but I did have a theory. It was less plausible than the one involving memories, but it explained more.

Souls.

As an atheist, I didn't believe in the concept myself. But in the time since I've gotten the Eyes of Misery, I'd learned that there was _something_ powering sentient beings. Hell, the Book had an entire Section devoted just to Soul Magic. I didn't get all of it, but I'd understood enough.

The way the Author explained it, the 'soul' consisted of two parts: the Spirit and the Soul. The Spirit was what made you, you. It contained a 'backup drive' of all your emotions, memories, experiences -everything. The Soul, meanwhile, was the driving force, the 'power source' that enabled your Spirit to function. After you die, your 'soul' would be collected and separated into its components. Your Spirit would go to whatever afterlife you believed in, and your Soul would be dumped into the reincarnation cycle to be reused.

So… what if my Kangeki didn't just affect the mind? What if it wrote directly to the Spirit as well? And every time I died, they used the energy remaining in my Soul to send my Spirit back in time. Since my Spirit was a perfect match with itself, it would merge flawlessly with its past version and would grant me the abilities that I gained in my previous incarnation. My Wendigo powers would tag along, granting me whatever bonuses I gained from Devouring other creatures in the meantime.

Of course, the process wasn't be perfect, as not everything the Spirit holds can be properly merged. My past Spirit could only hold so much, else my Soul wouldn't be able power it all That was where my Eyes would factor in. My Kangeki gradually adjusted my soul to be more compatible every time I used Memento Mori, essentially 'leveling' the ability every time it was used. Spider's Eyes acted as a helpful conduit to give me the ability to pick and choose what I wanted merged with my soul.

One eye to send my soul back with Memento Mori, one eye to merge the two parts of my Spirit together with Memorial. A perfect system.

That was just a theory, though. I still wasn't entirely sure yet as to whether my Eyes could even influence my soul, let alone detonate half of it to create a miniature wormhole in space and send the other half through. But any theory was better than just ignoring the implications of my power. Hell, for all I knew, I had detonated the entire universe every time I had travelled back in order to power the trip. For now, though, I would be acting under the assumption that my Eyes really did affect my soul and was treating them with the appropriate caution.

…God, I sounded paranoid. Where did the simple days go? The ones where my biggest worry had been someone stealing the Book?

Actually, scratch that, that was still my biggest worry. _'I swear to God, Kuroka, if you lose her…'_

I exhaled, squinting and pushing a bit of mana into my Eyes.

* **Regeneration time: 3d 3h 57m***

"Gaaaah. I'm so _bored_!" I growled to no one in particular.

My half-finished blade shone dully in the flickering light of the Phlegathon. I picked it up tiredly, grumbling to myself and hefting a crude hammer.

Time to get back to work.

* * *

I wiped the blood from my eyes as my odd, hourglass-shaped pupils returned to the three tomoe of the Kangeki's basic form. I observed myself with my Spider's Eyes, checking to see my new stats.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: What Doesn't Kill You Hurts Like Hell  
Race: Wendigo  
Level: 53_

 _Status:_

 _-Malnourished (Advanced) (-15 to all physical Talent Values)  
-Curse of the Wendigo (PERMENANT) (Negates all mental inhibitions, positive and negative)  
-Wendigo's Endless Hunger (PERMANANT)(NEGATED BY TITLE)  
-Wendigo's Freezing Chill (PERMANANT)_

 _Talent Values:_

 _MP: 295/295  
Physical Attack: 205 (220)(-15)  
Physical Defense: 175 (190)(-15)  
Magical Attack: 240  
Magical Resistance: 285  
Agility: 286 (197+104)(-15)_

 _Total Value: 1,286_

 _Abilities:_

 _—Attack Magic (All) {Mystic} Lv53_

 _ _—_ Cooking {Advanced} Lv6_

 _—Greater Regeneration {Advanced} Lv84_

 _—_ _Spear Mastery {Legendary} Lv54_

 _—Archery {Legendary} Lv93_

 _—Smithing {Legendary} Lv95_

 _—Devour LvMAX_

 _—Spider's Eyes LvMAX_

 _—Memento Mori {Godly} LvMAX_

 _—Memorial Lv13/20_

 _—Music Proficiency LvMAX_

…Hooooly shit. Wow. That was some _serious_ gain.

I'd like to take the time to say how much I loved spamming anti-death hax. Even if I had had a few brief 'oh-fuck-me' moments when I was about to get trapped inside of some inescapable trap, I had always managed to Reinforce my brain until it popped. Not the most pleasant way to go, but it was better than being trapped for eternity as a lawn ornament. Or worse, getting my Eyes damaged with a stupid stunt.

I eyed my Attack Magic once more. ' _That could bear some serious training, and I'm hardly short of targets. As long as I don't do something stupid and damage my Eyes again, everything is fair game.'_

I glanced up at the horde of monsters in front of me, combing through my mental list of shelved projects. I suddenly remembered something the Arai had said about the natural abilities of Wendigos. I concentrated, summoning my mana and focusing.

Thunder rumbled in the skies above, and I grinned. Time for some serious training.

Say what you will, but magical lightning would never match true lightning. As long as I insulated my Eyes, I should even be able to dodge the dreaded Respawn Timer.

* * *

I rose, wiping the sweat off my brow and setting aside my newest creation. I poured the water of the Phlegethon back into the river, before walking back to the ashy ground to the side of the broken-glass bank and using my Mangekyō to save my progress. I brushed the Dragon bone shavings off of my ratty shirt, closed my eyes, and let out a deep sigh.

So, why did I need to use the river of damned souls as a makeshift forge this time? For my next experiment, of course.

I had once heard from Von that Samael the Dragon Eater was bound within the waters of Cocytus. And, unless I missed my guess, the river of ice some five hundred feet in front of me was that very river. I didn't know exactly what 'Wendigo's Freezing Chill' was, but I somehow suspected that it meant I would be 'immune to even the harshest climates' as the Arai had told me. And if I was immune to the cold… then couldn't I take a dive into Cocytus?

A perfect meal, just sitting there. Bound in chains, unable to flee if I decided to Devour him. Wonderful.

I smiled, bursting into motion. I wove through the crowds of monsters with practiced ease, my speed a product of endless practice. I made my way to the edge of the cold front in record time, and didn't even stumble as I pushed through.

It was a simple, irresistible feeling, entering the cold once more. Like opening the door to _the Iron Strike_ after a long day's work. It was calm, comforting, soothing. I didn't break stride as I activated Spider's Eyes, glancing over my stats for any changes.

And then I promptly tripped and went arse-over-teakettle.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: What Doesn't Kill You Hurts Like Hell  
Race: Wendigo  
Level: 53_

 _Status:_

 _-Malnourished (Advanced) (-15 to all physical Talent Values)  
-Curse of the Wendigo (PERMENANT) (Negates all mental inhibitions, positive and negative)  
-Wendigo's Endless Hunger (PERMANANT)(NEGATED BY TITLE)  
-Wendigo's Freezing Chill (PERMANANT) **[Active]**_

 _Talent Values:_

 _MP: 10,295/10,295 **[+10,000/10,000]**  
Physical Attack: 1205 (220)(-15) **[1000]**  
Physical Defense: 1175 (190)(-15) **[1000]**  
Magical Attack: 1240 (240) **[1000]**  
Magical Resistance: 1285 (285) **[1000]**  
Agility: 286 (197+104)(-15) **[1000]**_

 _Total Value: 1,286_

And got up without a scratch.

…I was fucking speechless right now. Just… just give me a second.

All right. Dee dot exe has restarted.

 _WHAT THE HELL!?_

All of my stats were raised by _a thousand_ when I so much as _entered_ the cold? If I had known that, I wouldn't have busted my balls trying to avoid getting rekt!

I paid little to no attention to the monsters around me, instead heading straight for the river of pure cold. I took an instant to wonder if this was _actually_ a good idea.

And then I dove in.

 _MP: 1,000,295/1,000,295_

…I don't even… just… no. That was broken as hell.

I sighed to myself, reinforcing my lungs to their utmost limits. With the sheer amount of power I had running through my veins, I could hardly call this life-threatening. I just wished that I had found out about this back at the cave, so I didn't have to worry about suffocating to death the entire time.

I ignored the odd creatures bound in chains, all inert in their prisons. I was looking for bigger prey. I swam downwards, deeper into the murky waters. I glanced at my MP every once in a while, and was continually exasperated as it climbed into the trillions. Why? Because mythology was bullshit. Having a creature based off the concept of 'absolute hunter' mixed with a healthy dose of 'at home in the cold'? Even more bullshit.

I just wished I could use this power all the time, rather than needing to submerge myself into the literal embodiment of cold.

I finally caught sight of my prey. He was a large, ominous creature with bizarre features. He had the upper body of a fanged Fallen Angel, and the lower body of an Asian Dragon. His features were crudely defined, as if someone had drawn over the face of an Angel with a pencil and sharpened only the worst bits. His eyes were closed as if he were asleep, but I didn't dare let down my guard, if even for one moment.

 **(The Poison of God)  
[Samael]  
[Lv. ? ? ? ?]  
{Status: Bound beyond all possible hope of escape}**

' _All right, I'm not going to lie, that status is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. And quite possibly the last, if this doesn't work.'_

I pulled a sword equipped with the Light crystal out of my Gem. A sword I had poured all my blood, sweat, and tears into for the past three weeks. Then, I unleashed my incredible mana supply directly into the blade.

— _O sword, Let thee be filled…_

The jewel in the hilt glowed to life as the blade drank in my mana, glowing with a brilliant blue light and coating the blade in a twilight aura. In a flash of light, the blade's aura stretched into the sky above, effortlessly piercing through the water between itself and the surface. I forced more and more power into it, concentrating on shifting the power into a usable form. Then, with the force of a man swinging a blade through solid ice, I released the attack.

 _"Balmung!"_

And with that, my vision went white.

When the light faded, I immediately focused on my target, almost praying that it had—

A single arm remained after the blast, all else having been demolished. I stared for a moment, waiting for the 'aha!' moment in which Samael popped up from behind me and ripped my heart out. My luck could not _possibly_ be this good. It was like I existed to be the universe's chew toy.

And yet, despite all odds, nothing ganked me while I stared down the floating arm. Slowly, hesitantly, I approached. If I had any shield spells, I would've been spamming them like mad. But again, to my horror, nothing awaited me. Only a floating arm, bound by a single chain. I checked behind me in all directions, waiting for the inevitable surprise. My luck _sucked_. It wouldn't possibly just _let_ me win, right?

I tentatively reached out, lightly tugging the arm out of the chain. I brought it to my mouth and took a large bite. My entire body shuddered in revulsion at the acrid taste of the hybrid's blood, but I continued regardless, picking clean the bone before eating it like a wafer. Nothing else happened, and I burped. Glancing around, I began to swim for the surface.

And then the pain hit.

My blood boiled, flesh simmered, organs ruptured as my bones shattered. I screamed without lungs as my body tore itself apart, piecing itself back together with disturbing ease. A cloud of my blood began to diffuse out from where I writhed, obscuring the surface and dying my vision red. My sight began to flicker as my strength dimmed, my mana being devoured as if by a monstrous black hole. Yet still, the struggle continued. My veins pulled themselves apart and stitched themselves back together in less than an instant, my muscles spasming as they dissolved and reintegrated themselves. My eyes burned, my nose poured out blood, and my mouth formed an endless, silent scream.

After what felt like an eternity, my vision finally faded, and my eyes fluttered shut.

I floated within the blackness of my mind for a while, a length of time that I cared not to count. Finally, I opened my eyes and tried to shake myself awake.

 **"MY, MY."** A deep, rolling voice echoed inside my mind. **"YOU TRULY ARE AN INTERESTING SPECIMEN. HOW HAVE YOU SURVIVED THIS LONG?"**

I coughed, an odd experience for one who didn't have lungs. "Guts and will. Why?"

The voice seemed amused. **"CALL IT PROFESSIONAL CURIOSITY. I COULD HARDLY IGNORE SUCH BLATANT IGNORANCE OF THE LAWS OF TIME WHEN YOU DANCE AT MY DOORSTEP."**

I froze. "E-excuse me?"

A pair of golden eyes opened in the darkness, the voice quieting as it seemed to shrink. **"Even as I caught your soul, you moved back in time. How utterly disrespectful of you to try to override my Authority in my very presence."** He sighed, long and deep. **"And yet, I cannot stop you with my current power. So this shall suffice."** The golden eyes bored into mine. **"COME FIND ME WHEN YOU WAKE UP."**

And then my eyes snapped open, and I saw the familiar sight of the Phlegethon. At my side, the newly completed Balmung shone with an inner light.

I fell back onto my rear, gasping for air. I wasn't much for mythology, but even _I_ knew who that was. The Lord of the Titans. The King of the Pit. The Father of the Gods. _Chronos._

And he now apparently knew I existed. Lovely.

I sighed, focusing and drawing up Spider's Eyes. Thankfully, my eyes didn't seem damaged from my… experience, so they responded without issue.

 **[Memorial has leveled up! Lv13- Lv15]**

 **[Memorial has activated!]**

 **[Memorial—Motherfucking _Sniped_!]  
[Choose four of the following bonuses.]**

 **1\. Curse Self Lv2  
2\. Greater Regeneration {Advanced} LvMAX- Renewal {Mystic} LvMAX- Regrowth {Legendary} Lv10  
3\. Agility +540  
4\. Pain Resistance {Basic} LvMAX- Greater Pain Resistance {Mid} LvMAX- Stone Cold {Advanced} LvMAX- Marble Skin {Mystic} Lv54  
5\. Swordsmanship {Mid} Lv10- Swordsmanship {Mid} Lv15**

I sighed, selecting all but Curse Self. That was one ability I didn't really need. The spidery text cleared, and an odd notification greeted me.

 **{For not only having the sheer audacity to shank a higher being, but the balls and power to pull it off, you have gained the ability Larceny!}  
[Larceny {Godly} Lv1]**

 **{For Devouring a higher being, yet surviving long enough to consume half of his Legend, you may pick one half of Samael's Legend to make your own!}  
{1. Angel of Death}  
{2. Samael's Curse}**

I blinked. Twice. _'You mean… that actually_ worked _?'_ I thought in shock. _'But I thought—y'know what, never mind. Maybe I actually absorbed his Spirit or something. I'm just going to take it for what it's worth. Now.'_ I eyed the two options. _'Samael was the Angel of Death before he fell, so that's probably where one came from. I'm pretty sure the other one happened because of the way he fell. So, he can kill Dragons or something?'_ Balmung shimmered beside me, innocently reflecting the light of the Phlegethon. _'Well, I seriously doubt I'm ever going to have to face an actual Dragon, so I'll stick with Angel of Death.'_

Suddenly, I felt something in the back of my mind _click_. It wasn't a mind-shattering revelation, or a sudden new sense, but something _new_ became a part of me, something that never should've been mine.

 **[Angel of Death has become a part of your Legend! Due to your high compatibility, all parts of Angel of Death have immediately been made available!]  
[Angel of Death: All things must die, and it is your job to keep it as such. Immortality breeds stagnation, and that is one thing you have always hated. Negates the " _undying attribute_ " of all things, and inflicts wounds that cannot be restored by any methods other than healing in accordance to the natural laws.]**

 **[Due to the effects of Angel of Death, a new ability has formed!]  
[Annihilation {?} Lv1]**

The text dissolved, and more appeared.

 **{For Devouring the remains of a higher being, yet surviving long enough to consume half of his power, you may choose three abilities to automatically raise one rank.}**

 **—Attack Magic (All) {Mystic} Lv89**

 **—Regrowth {Legendary} Lv10**

 **—Marble Skin {Mystic} Lv54**

 **— Spear Mastery {Legendary} Lv16**

 **—Swordsmanship {Mid} Lv15**

 **—Smithing {Legendary} Lv95**

…Dammit, why!? Why did this have to be so hard! I wanted all of these to be insta-ranked, so why did I have to pick just three?

Grumbling to myself, I chose Smithing and debated between Regeneration, Spear Mastery, and Attack Magic. I eventually chose Regeneration and Spear Mastery, just because of how easy it would be to get better at magic once I had the Book again. After all, having a high-ranked magic ability did nothing when I didn't know enough to use it.

 **—Smithing {Godly} Lv95**

— **Absolute Regrowth {Godly} Lv10**

 **—Spear Mastery {Godly} Lv16**

…OP. I call OP hax. Really? Why the hell did it keep the levels the way they were? And how did this even work? My life wasn't a game, I couldn't just power-level skills like I was a character. I only got as far as I did due to Memento Mori letting me keep my muscle memory or whatever for physical tasks, but for three abilities to randomly gain enough experience to raise a rank? Something _seriously_ screwy was going on here.

 **{For Devouring the remains of a higher being, yet surviving long enough to consume half of his power, you may choose two physical traits.}  
-Angelic Form  
-Dragon Scales  
-Perfect Body  
-Fearsome Visage**

…Okay, now _this_ I can use. Angelic Form, Perfect Body. Yes and yes. I really don't see the point of the other two.

 **[You have gained the memories of Samael the Dragon Eater!]**

 **[You have unlocked the form: Samael the Angel!]**

 **[Your power level has raised!]**

 **[Your Talent Values have been raised!]**

I grinned. It's time to—

 **['Perfect Body' has negated status condition 'Malnourished {Advanced}'!]  
['Perfect body' has negated status condition 'Wendigo's Endless Hunger'!]**

I blinked. _'Wait, there's more?'_

 ***Due to your actions, you have activated a Rite of Ascension!***

 ***Your journey has now begun…***

I waited a few seconds, but nothing else happened. No more burning, ominous text appeared, nothing explaining what the hell a 'Rite of Ascension' was. Only a normal notification answered me.

 **[Due to the intense emotional trauma you have experienced, as well as the Sharingan has amplified your abilities once more! All physical abilities will now be 5000% easier to get.]  
[You have gained the physical trait 'Photographic Reflexes'!**

 **)DUE TO PHYSICAL DISFIGURMENT, MEMENTO MORI HAS SUFFERED EXTREME DEGREDATION.(**

 **[Absolute Regrowth has partially negated the effects of 'Memento Mori'!]  
[Remaining uses of 'Memento Mori'—2- 4]**

 _'…Oh, fuck. I just lost 24 lives with that stunt. No wonder I didn't get the Respawn Timer. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I have only four lives left. In the middle of fucking Tartarus.'_

I felt the familiar calm of my emotions dissolving as my mind began to shut down in panic. I guess the Curse of the Wendigo wasn't actually all that bad once you disabled the worst bits.

 _'So… is that 'Rite of Ascension' thing why I suddenly have three God-level skills? Is that it? I mean, it's not like I have any other explanation. I'll have to figure out what 'Ascension' is once I get out of this hellhole. I doubt anyone here would be willing to explain, even if they knew.'_

I sighed, activating Spider's Eyes and bringing up my stats.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: What Doesn't Kill You Hurts Like Hell  
Race: Wendigo (*)  
Level: 223_

 _Status:  
-Curse of the Wendigo (PERMENANT) (Negates all mental inhibitions, both positive and negative)  
-Wendigo's Freezing Chill (PERMANANT)_

 _Talent Values:_

 _MP: 210,450 /210,450  
Physical Attack: 4220  
Physical Defense: 3190  
Magical Attack: 3240  
Magical Resistance: 4285  
Agility: 6301_

 _Total Value: 21,236_

 _Abilities:_

 _—Attack Magic (All) {Mystic} Lv89_

 _—_ _Cooking {Advanced} Lv6_

 _ _—_ Annihilation {?} Lv1_

 _—Absolute Regrowth {Godly} Lv10_

 _—Marble Skin {Mystic} Lv54_

 _—Spear Mastery {Godly} Lv16_

 _—Archery {Legendary} Lv_ _93_

 _—Swordsmanship {Mid} Lv10_

 _—Smithing {Godly} Lv95_

 _—Devour LvMAX_

 _—Larceny {Godly} Lv1_

 _—Spider's Eyes LvMAX_

 _ _—_ Music Proficiency LvMAX_

 _—Memento Mori {Godly} LvMAX_

 _—Memorial Lv15/20_

…Wait. My now obscenely high level aside, if I only had four uses left in my Mangekyō, then did that mean—

In a panic, I pulled out a rough blueprint that I had written on a piece of skin a dozen lives ago. The words on the page were dim and blurry, and no amount of focus would make them legible. A cold chill raced down my spine. I now had to navigate Tartarus, avoid monsters, and survive intact while practically _blind_.

…Oh, and I still had to track down a mad Titan so I could talk with him. Knowing my luck, he was probably in that bronze fortress that I'd been avoiding this whole time.

I rubbed my blurry eyes, sighing. _'Welp. At least I can still use Spider's Eyes. That hasn't changed. Thank Arachne for my almost game-like Scrying abilities. Even if it's only because of my Kangeki that I can bring powers back with me, it still feels like an RPG.'_ I smiled grimly. _'Too bad it's not. I could really use a bunch of healing potions right about now.'_

I picked up Balmung, tucking it into my Gem and rising to my feet. I squinted into the distance, ignoring the blurry horde of monsters. If I remembered correctly, the bronze fortress should be… there. Yes. Good. I could still pick out enough details to know where I was going.

I tensed, then burst into motion. The world around me blurred, but my Eyes effectively prevented me from getting tunnel vision as I cranked up my ridiculous agility. I used a touch of magic to remove the wind that would've knocked over every monster within ten feet of where I ran, but I couldn't do anything about the sonic boom that followed.

I reached the bronze fortress within ten seconds, blowing past the ornate decorations surrounding it and stopping just in front of a pair of enormous double doors. My approach was utterly silent, if it weren't for the wind that would've knocked down any bystanders, it would have seemed that I had magically appeared there.

The great bronze doors swung open with a low groan, and I hesitantly stepped into the darkness.

It occurred to me how reckless I had become when relying on Memento Mori. I should have really figure out a way to avoid situations like this.

As I strode down a long hall, torches on the walls sputtered to life. When I reached the end of the hall, a smaller pair of engraved golden doors opened to allow me inside. I didn't even pause, by now too far in to consider escape. I'd rather face a Titan head-on than have him use BS time powers to snipe me from afar.

 _'Actually, come to think of it, maybe he knows what Ascension is. I'll have to ask,'_ I thought absently, glancing around to make sure nothing was about to chop my head off. Noticing nothing, I continued through the doors.

I walked on a narrow, red carpet, tiled on each side. I was amused by the dramatic flair, especially with the torches only allowing me a few feet of sight at a time. Unfortunately, due to my night vision, I could clearly see the throne at the end of the hall, which kind of ruined the mood. I said nothing, however, instead calmly continuing down the path. Finally, the throne became close enough for me to get a good look the occupant.

 **(The Titan of Time)  
[Chronos]  
[Lv. ? ? ? ? ? ?]  
{Status: Weakened {Severe}}**

He was a tall, muscular man with golden eyes and white hair. He wore a set of golden armor, and a large scythe lay propped against the back of his throne. He leaned forward as I approached, a menacing smile growing across his face. **"WELCOME!"** he boomed, throwing out his arms and rising to his feet. **"You must be the Time Mage I sensed. How incredible!"**

I blinked, my mind beginning to dissect his words. He didn't know me… which meant that he didn't know of Memento Mori. He didn't know of my sudden power boost. He probably thought I was some noob that had stumbled into Tartarus. So, if worse came to worst, I had a decent chance of taking him by surprise and tagging him with one of my nastier moves.

"I am," I agreed smoothly. "I'm a Diviner, a former human who braved the wrath of Hell. You invited me here in one of the futures I saw, and I wanted to know how to get back to the surface."

 **"A Diviner, eh?"** He scratched his chin thoughtfully. **"How odd. I could've sworn I felt a Traveler."**

I took a chance. "Actually, I do have a minor ability to Travel, but only back to one point in time."

The Titan raised his eyebrows. **"I… see. That would explain the distortions I felt. I take it you challenged a higher being and took some of its' power back with you?"**

I nodded, slightly nervous about how accurately he had predicted what had happened. "I did. I'm really weak, though, and if I hadn't abused a special ability of mine, I wouldn't have survived." _'True, but I still managed to absorb half of him before I lost it.'_

The Titan obviously knew what he was talking about, so I decided to try my luck. "Actually, I have a question about that."

The Titan nodded genially. **"I am in an accommodating mood. Speak."**

I hid a smile. "Right. So, you might've noticed my… ah… situation."

He raised an eyebrow. **"I take it you refer to your undeath?"**

I nodded. "Exactly. Because of some unfortunate circumstances, I had to resort to… unsavory means in order to survive. A Denizen of the Pit offered me its' blessing in exchange for a favor, and thus I'm now able to scry any being within around fifty levels of me."

The Titan looked intrigued. **"Interesting. Normally your kind are unable to use Scrying due to your mental inhibitions. And you speak of levels?"**

I nodded pleasantly. "Yes, I can only see numbers and figures instead of feelings and impressions. Level means 'power level', and 'title' is 'legacy'. Everything Scrying can tell you is represented as a game mechanic to my eyes. But that's not the point. I recently Devoured a piece of a higher being, and my Scrying Magic started acting oddly. It told me that I had begun something called a 'Rite of Ascension' and immediately gave bonuses to several different abilities of mine. Do you know what's happening to me?"

The Titan hummed in thought. **"Your case is rather odd."** He admitted. **"But simple to understand once you have the proper knowledge. Do you have anything to offer me in exchange for my advice?"**

I sighed, expecting this. Time for something risky. "How about this? I don't know what everything on my statsheet represents, and you do. If I show you what I see, you can know what I can do, and I can learn what everything means. We both walk away with more knowledge than we began with."

Chronos grinned. **"I accept this bargain. I take it you know how to Scry onto a surface?"**

I nodded. "A Child of Arachne named Weavox taught me."

 **"Then do so. We have ourselves an accord."**

I nodded, pulling out a warped piece of glass. It was easier to scry using a reflective surface, and I doubted Chronos had anything else on hand. I focused, pouring magic into the glass and setting it aglow. Of course, not being a complete moron, I hid some of my abilities before tossing the Titan the glass.

Chronos eyed the statsheet. **"Interesting, indeed,"** he murmured. **"This blessing… Spider's Eyes? You must've traded something truly incredible in order to get these without dying. The Mother of Spiders does not give her blessing lightly."**

"Ah, yes," I began smoothly. "When I first arrived, one of her children had wandered too close to—"

He waved off my half-spun line of bullshit. **"I care not. I merely expressed my approval. Now, for our accord."** He glanced once more at the pane of glass. **"Name seems rather obvious. It explains the Name one most closely identifies as. It doesn't seem to reveal True Names, unfortunately."** He slid his finger down the sheet, continuing. **"Your title, as you have surmised, represents one's Legacy. It is one's space in the world, a sum total of one's trials and experiences. Race… well. That one is more complex. I'll get to what the star means in a bit. Level is power level, with one being an inanimate object and ten being normal human. Status gives a summary of abnormal conditions, and Talent Values are essentially your… 'stats'? Was that what you called them?"**

He finished looking at the rest of the sheet. **"Nothing much to see here… normal skills… what's this? Godly?"** He chuckled. **"I somehow doubt that."**

He tossed back the tablet, still chuckling. **"Well, now I know why you're so confused. You're Ascending. That's why your, ah, 'abilities' are growing so powerful."**

I felt my frustration being cooled by the Curse of the Wendigo. "What _is_ Ascension?" I repeated.

 **"Is it not obvious? How odd. It means that you're becoming a god, boy. Or, at least, some comparable being such as myself."** He grinned. **"You see, when you begin to gain power, your body begins going through some** _ **changes**_ … **"**

I felt a cold ball of fear drop in my stomach. " _Please_ don't give me The Talk," I begged.

He burst out laughing. **"Oh, no, no. I was just messing with you."** He wiped a tear from his eye. **"No, I meant to explain that your path from here is dependent on the, ah, 'abilities' you choose to specialize in. If you were to focus on your Archery, you would become a God of Archery. If you were to focus on your Smithing, you would become a God of the Forge. Do you understand? That is the function of your 'abilities' list. It shows how close each ability is to becoming superhuman. At Epic level it rivals the top of one's craft, and at Legendary one is on par with the heroes of old. Do you understand?"**

I nodded slowly. "…Yes. I do. So if I poured all my effort into Smithing, I would gradually become a God of the Forge?"

 **"Indeed. The feeling is much like a… spark. It rests deep within you, and once you begin to pour all your effort into something, it begins the process of Deification. It could be any one of your abilities, or your Divination, or any combination of the above."** He frowned, his face darkening. **"That being said… do you know of the repercussions of your actions?"**

I blinked, confused. "Uh… what do you mean?"

 **"My apologies. I meant, do you understand what will occur as a result of using your Traveling ability to force an Ascension?"**

I shook my head. "No. I don't. I've never met another Traveler before."

He nodded, as if I had confirmed something he had already known. **"Time travel is tricky, particularly whenever you use it to subvert Fate. The larger the change you make, the larger the effect. By taking a higher being's power back with you, you stole from the power they currently have. That's a large change, and one that** _ **will**_ **have consequences."**

I felt a chill. "Consequences?"

 **"Yes."** He grunted. **"And since Time is a delicate tapestry, unraveling a single thread will cause ripples in past, present, and future. To put it in a way you'd understand, breaking the sound barrier creates a sonic boom, which shatters windows and cracks solid concrete. Breaking the** _ **time**_ **barrier? That's something nature never intended. Sonic booms affect the physical world, but chronic ripples affect the entire fabric of space and time. Even going back ten seconds causes unexplained events, impossible occurrences, a re-rolling of the dice of Fate. I ceased Traveling once my machinations caused my own downfall."**

"Unexplained events, you say," I repeated slowly, trying to wrap my mind around his explanation. "Like what?"

 **"Beings born before their time, or their genders being different than they ought to. Sudden tremors in the earth that happen like clockwork. Gaps in the natural order that the Balance must fix, and often fixes by subverting a law of reality."** He chuckled darkly. **"And the worst part is, you've already caused** _ **and**_ **experienced them. I can feel the ripples of your changes spreading through causality, numbing my senses and tearing down my Authority. You have created many a paradox, young lad."**

I digested the Titan's words. If what he was saying was true, it was probably due to my alterations in the present that the ceiling collapsed on me in the past. And, even more disturbingly, my actions had caused the timeline to shift. Who knew if Carn was even supposed to be born this century, or if Kuroka was supposed to be born a male? That was a sobering thought. My actions had consequences, ones beyond just me.

However, it also told me something else. No matter how much more I screwed up the timeline, nothing more would happen, since I had actually already done it in the future before the thought had even crossed my mind in the present. I could easily use Memento Mori, with no further consequences occurring as a result. Not the best idea, no, but not the worst either.

But for now, I had a more immediate problem in front of me. The 'accord' between myself and the Titan before me was complete now. We had both gotten what we wanted, which meant that my temporary protection had expired. Which meant that I was probably about to get my ass handed to me.

After a moment of hesitation, I elected to trigger my 'flag,' activating my Mangekyō and changing my restore point. Whether I lived or died, I would make my stand here. I cleared my throat, speaking up once more. "So… what happens now?"

He sighed. **"Well, as much as it pains me…"** He hefted his scythe onto his shoulder, a wicked gleam in his eye. **"…I fear I have a greater need for your power than you do. I have been weakened, you see, by both the gods' actions and your own. And consuming your soul to take over your body is exactly what I need to restore myself to my full glory."**

…I'd said it before, and I'll say it again. I hate it when I'm right.

I dodged a sudden swing of Chronos's scythe, ducking under a second and sidestepping a third. Chronos seemed almost amused by my struggles. It was clear he was hardly exerting himself, though I wasn't sure why. Still, at this tempo, I didn't stand a chance. In my moment of desperation, I remembered what the Arai had said about Wendigos affecting the weather, and I began focusing on turning down the temperature in the room.

Swing. Dodge.

I felt a slight chill in the air, and I immediately focused on what had caused it. I began shoving huge chunks of mana into it. The temperature plummeted, my breath coming out in white mist. The Lord of Time barely seemed fazed, and a truly bored expression crossed his face. **"Is that all?"** he asked, and I felt a surge of power erupt from him.

Then, blackness.

I opened my eyes once more to see the Titan towering over me.

 **[Memorial has levelled up! Lv15- Lv16]**

 **[Memorial has activated!]**

 **[Memorial—Time to die.]  
[Choose four of the following bonuses.]  
1\. Attack Magic (All) {Mystic} LvMAX- Attack Magic (All) {Legendary} Lv2  
2\. Magical Attack +100  
3\. Magical Resistance +4340  
4\. Agility +420  
5\. Resist Time Control {Basic} LvMAX- Resist Time Magic {Mid} LvMAX- Resist Magic {Advanced} Lv45**

…What the hell had just happened?

I frowned, cranking up Thought Acceleration. _'Magical Resistance just frickin power-leveled beyond all logical reason, and I just got offered an ability to resist Time Control. Chronos probably has some ability to freeze time, and he used it to one-shot me. But that's fine, I was only testing the waters on that run.'_

I growled to myself, resisting the urge to slam a fist into the ground. What use was a shitload of training, when he could just pull a time pause out of his ass and stop me dead while he butchered me?

I selected all but the Magical Attack bonus, my thoughts still moving many times faster than normal. _'Gotta love Thought Acceleration.'_

I cleared my throat. "So… what happens now?"

He sighed. **"Well, as much as it pains me…"** He hefted his scythe onto his shoulder, a wicked gleam in his eye. **"…I fear I have a greater need for your power than you do. I have been weakened, you see, by both the gods' actions and your own. And consuming your soul to take over your body is exactly what I need to restore myself to my full glory."**

"Yeah, no." I deadpanned, reaching into my pocket and pulling out Gáe Bolg. The temperature plummeted, and I took my stance. "I think I'll pass."

The Titan moved forward, and with the speed of a seasoned warrior, began to launch a flurry of strikes at me. I blocked or dodged each blow, easily holding my own.

Internally, however, I was slightly awed. _'Holy shit, there's a world of difference between Legend and God levels of ability! Jesus, that slash should've decapitated me! How the fuck am I still alive?! Is this that 'Ascension' bullshit at work? If so, fuck humanity! I wanna be a god!'_

Chronos laughed, pressing his advantage as I began to slow. **"A worthy fighter you may be, but you seem somewhat weak physically. But then again, the Wendigo race was never known as the strongest."** He swung his scythe harder this time, forcing me backwards. **"Perhaps in a hundred years, you might be a match for me. But not today."**

Time slowed to a crawl. I felt like I was moving through molasses as the Titan stepped back and swung once more. Even with my incredible resistances, I still wasn't strong enough to escape the slim blade as it carved through my neck.

My vision faded once more, and I opened my eyes to see the Titan on his throne.

 _Dammit._

I only had two shots left with Memento Mori until I went completely blind, and I could hardly make out Chronos's facial features as is.

 _'Am I going to die here?'_

I took a deep breath, emotions running at full strength for the first time in a very long time. No, I wasn't going to die. I'd been through too much for that. I'd sacrificed too much, and taken too many hits for all of this to be in vain. So what _could_ I do? I couldn't resist his Time Control, and Gáe Bolg had refused to activate when I had tried to use it against him.

I exhaled, activating Spider's Eyes.

 **[Memorial has levelled up! Lv16- Lv17]**

 **[Memorial has activated!]**

 **[Memorial—Time takes twice.]  
[Choose four of the following bonuses.]  
1\. Attack Magic (All) {Legendary} Lv2- Lv67  
2\. Magical Attack +232  
3\. Magical Resistance +3000  
4\. Agility +560  
5\. Resist Magic {Advanced} Lv45- Lv92**

I selected all except the Magical Attack once more, feeling my body shifting and changing. I wasn't a video game character where each upgrade altered stats only. This was real life, and adding to my stats changed my body physically. Especially considering that adding this run's Magical Resistance to last run's was equal to over seven thousand Resistance being added to my body all at once.

I pulled up my stats, almost desperate as I tried to find something, anything that could save me.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: What Doesn't Kill You Hurts Like Hell  
Race: Wendigo (*)  
Level: 227_

 _Status:  
-Curse of the Wendigo (PERMENANT) (Negates all mental inhibitions, both positive and negative)  
-Wendigo's Freezing Chill (PERMANANT)_

 _Talent Values:_

 _MP: 320,460 /320,460  
Physical Attack: 5520  
Physical Defense: 3690  
Magical Attack: 3440  
Magical Resistance: 12,225  
Agility: 7281_

 _Total Value: 40,742_

 _Abilities:_

 _—_ _Attack Magic (All) {Legendary} Lv2_

 _—_ _Cooking {Advanced} Lv6_

 _—Annihilation {?} Lv1_

 _—Resist Magic {Advanced} Lv45_

 _—Absolute Regrowth {Godly} Lv10_

 _—Marble Skin {Mystic} Lv54_

 _—Spear Mastery {Godly} Lv16_

 _—Swordsmanship {Mid} Lv10_

 _—Smithing {Godly} Lv95_

 _—Devour LvMAX_

 _—Larceny {Godly} Lv1_

 _—Spider's Eyes LvMAX_

 _—Music Proficiency LvMAX_

 _ _—Memento Mori {Godly} LvMAX__

 _—Memorial Lv17/20_

Dammit. I wished I knew how to activate some of these powers. A skill called 'Annihilation' would be extremely helpful right now. 'Larceny' would be similarly useful, as it could possibly enable me steal Chronos's Time Control. As it was, I'd have to improvise.

I remembered something I had gotten from Samael— Angel of Death, if I recalled correctly. It had said that the skill allowed me kill the unkillable. And considering my current situation, I could hardly turn down something like _that_. So I focused, trying to draw forth the power hidden in the back of my mind. It came slowly but rather easily, like a panther slinking across a field.

 **['Curse of the Wendigo' has been temporarily suppressed by a higher power!]**

I took a deep breath, focusing my stinging eyes on Chronos's blurry form. Now wasn't the time for emotion; it was a time for action. I spoke the words, repeating them from memory. "So… what happens now?"

He sighed. **"Well, as much as it pains me…"** He hefted his scythe onto his shoulder, a wicked gleam in his eye. **"…I fear I have a greater need for your power than you do. I have been weakened, you see, by both the gods' actions and your own. And consuming your soul to take over your body is exactly what I need to restore myself to my full glory."**

I rolled my eyes. "So stereotypical villain lines it is, then. Jesus, have you even _read_ the Evil Overlord List?"

 _'Not that he could've. That was something random I found in the Book one time. But whatever.'_

He ignored me, stepping forward and beginning his first strike. I concentrated, and just as before, the temperature plummeted, but with far greater effect this time. Ice crystals instantly formed over my skin as I breathed out, and Chronos stumbled in surprise at the suddenly subzero temperature. I smiled wryly, my spear in my hand once more as I charged the Titan. I threw my entire weight into my strike, guiding the spear directly towards his heart—

And the world slowed. Chronos merely stepped back, looking amused, then released time.

He was understandably shocked when I changed my trajectory mid-strike, the long red spear suddenly sprouting from his armpit. I grinned and waited a few seconds, expecting something to happen. Him exploding into a cloud of dust, perhaps. But no, Chronos merely smiled widely and began to laugh.

I was beginning to hate that laugh.

 **"Ah, the foolishness of youth."** He sighed, wiping a tear from his eye. **"I am far beyond your means, mortal, so far that even should you train for ten thousand years, you could not hope to harm me. We Titans cannot be slain by normal means, and it took an entire pantheon of gods working in perfect harmony to defeat me the first time. Even weakened, I have more power in my little finger than you will in your entire life."**

He tore the spear from his armpit, using my grip on it to hurl me away like a piece of trash. I bounced painfully on the palace floor, bones healing almost instantly as they snapped and shattered. I felt time slow once more, and Chronos stepped back to sink onto his golden throne.

 **"I am above you, little mortal."** He sneered, golden eyes flashing. **"As the land is from the sea. Give up. You can never harm me- you have neither the means or the power. And yet, I am not a monster. If you submit willingly, I will place your soul within another vessel, as a testament to your skill and ferocity."**

I felt it rise inside of me, all the emotions that the Curse had been suppressing. The rage, the hate, the loneliness, the desperation, the _fear_. It flowed through me like a river of ice, sharpening my mind and setting my soul ablaze. He _dared_ to tell me that he was above me? What right did he have to command me? What right did he have to deny my importance? To offer me 'mercy' in the form of imprisonment?

The fuck has he ever done? Who the hell does he think he is? He was born with his power, living a life of luxury while everyone precious to me had to _crawl_ through the _muck_ for even a _scrap_. Did we deserve this? To have people like _this_ lording over us? Looking down on us like we were worth less than _dirt_?

NO.

I wouldn't, couldn't stand for it. I could take everything else the universe threw at me. I could let myself get beaten to a bloody pulp over and over again, I could let my bones break and my tendons snap as the strain of living destroyed me from inside out. But I would _never_ let go of my dignity. It was the one thing I had left, the one thing that remained as a testament to my human life. And to let this golden _asshole_ trample all over it?

NEVER.

Power surged through me, and the world snapped into crystal clarity. I felt blood running down my cheeks, my eyes straining to see clearly for one last time. I stepped forward, and somewhere in the back of my mind, something _snapped_.

 **[Annihilation has been activated!]**

I ignored the text, not even bothering to read it as my rage built to a crescendo. I rose to my feet, glaring at him. "I will _never_ ," I spat, fury burning in my eyes, "surrender to _you_."

I hefted my spear once more and stepped forward, fully intent on killing him. I felt power coursing into the cursed weapon, and I allowed my mana to flow along with it. The spear suddenly began glowing brighter and brighter, a deep red miasma coalescing around it. The light around the spear seemed to twist and bend erratically from the sheer amount of power being emitted from the weapon. Then the light condensed around the tip of the weapon, as if becoming absorbed by the spear, and Gáe Bolg vibrated so hard in my hands that I was afraid I would lose my grip.

Chronos's eyes widened, and I felt the pressure trying to hold me back intensify tenfold. Yet I didn't falter, pouring even more power into the weapon until my mana reserves were almost entirely depleted.

The head of my spear became blacker than night, still emanating a menacing glow. It shone like a second sun, as if there was just an absence of everything where the weapon head should have been.

I felt a shout of pure rage tear from my throat as the temperature plummeted to under negative two hundred degrees Celsius. I launched the spear with all my strength. "GÁE… BOLG!"

The spear transformed into a red beam of light, the only light in the dark room as it sprang forth, hurtling at impossible speeds towards Chronos's heart. He tried to block the attack, visibly pouring incredible amounts of power into his Time Control and slowing the spear ever so slightly, allowing him to survive a mere ten seconds more before the spear could continue.

Yet, the lance had been thrown, so causality was altered. _The heart has been pierced so the lance must have been thrust_ became _the lance has been thrust_ _so the heart must have been pierced._

And so the lance, laced with the power of the Angel of Death, pierced Chronos's heart straight through his armor.

Chronos stared blankly at me for a moment, as if unable to comprehend the events that had just taken place, his hands grasping feebly at the shaft of the spear. There was very little blood for such an incredibly powerful attack, a mere trickle of crimson flowing from the small wound. And then, without pomp or circumstance, without so much as a whisper, the Primordial Titan Chronos died.

I stood, still gasping for air as my heart hammered in my chest. I felt the Curse activate once more, signifying the recession of Angel of Death. I collapsed to my knees, feeling my entire body tremble at the strain of my last attack. My mana was quickly recovering in the cold, climbing past the billions and into the trillions.

 ***Soul check: Passed. {5003/3000}***

 ***Congratulations. You have Faced the Raven***

The text burned my retinas to look at, bright and fiery in its splendor.

 ***You have faced your fate head-on, and defied it in the most spectacular of ways! Congratulations, you have Ascended.***

I stumbled to my feet, walking over to Chronos's rapidly cooling corpse. I pulled the spear from his chest, wearily wiping off the blood with a ratty cloth. I concentrated, activating my Mangekyō and changing the location of my 'flag.'

Then, I tugged off Chronos's breastplate, cutting open his ribcage with a quick slice. I pried it open, the bones cracking and popping, and let it hang off of the thin strand of skin still attaching the ribs to his sternum. I aimed the head of my spear and, with surgical precision, cut his heart from his body. Pulling the organ from its' former home, I began to eat.

My Regrowth, however useful, demanded an incredible amount of food to stay active, to say nothing of 'Wendigo's Freezing Chill' and my Attack Magic. Those abilities, while they were my most powerful combination, increased my appetite to nearly insatiable levels after prolonged use.

And so I cleaned, gutted, and ate the entire Titan in one sitting. Sure, he was a bit hairy, but skinning him and cooking his meat by using Gáe Bolg as a spit yielded wonderful results. I seasoned him with various herbs I had gathered from a few of the less bloodthirsty monsters, and dined on roast Titan.

He tasted remarkably like fish.

I finished the last of the meat, burning the hands, feet, and various other inedible organs. Then, I yawned and stretched, stumbling over to lean against the wall.

Precisely seven seconds later, the pain hit.

* * *

I opened my eyes to see the blurry form of Chronos once more.

 ***Congratulations, you have Ascended! Phantasmal-class abilities are now possible.***

 ***Soul check: Passed. {5003/4500}***

 ***Due to the hidden Rite of Ascension 'Absorption Consumption', you have permanently gained Titan status!***

I blinked away the burning text, moving on to the next notification.

 **[Memorial has leveled up! Lv17- Lv18]**

 **[Memorial has activated!]**

 **[Memorial—How the _fuck_ did I just do that?]  
[Choose four of the following bonuses.]**

 **1\. Spear Mastery {Godly} Lv16- Spear Mastery {Phantasmal} Lv2  
2\. Absolute Regrowth {Legendary} Lv10- Lv13  
3\. Physical Attack +900  
4\. Marble Skin {Mystic} Lv54- Pure Soul {Legendary} Lv5  
5\. Resist Magic {Advanced} Lv45- Resistance {Mythic} LvMAX- Galvanism {Legendary} Lv32**

…

…

…

I was not apologizing.

 _Ahem._

Physical Attack would probably be easier to level than the Godly-level abilities, so I'd skip that for now. Everything else was something I might need, so I selected them.

 **{For not only having the sheer audacity and balls required to shank not just one higher being, but** _ **two**_ **, but Larceny has leveled up!}  
[Larceny {Godly} Lv5]**

Y'know what would be really great? Actually _explaining_ this shit. Larceny was great and all, but I couldn't. Fucking. _Use_ it.

 **{For Devouring a higher being, yet surviving long enough to consume most of his Legend, you may pick one half of Chronos's Legend to make your own!}  
{1. Lord of Titans}  
{2. Father Time}**

No contest. Number two, selected.

Once again, I felt the odd sensation of having something in the back of my mind _click_. It wasn't a mind-shattering revelation, or a sudden new sense, but something _new_ became a part of me, something that never should've been mine.

I grinned as my Sight suddenly returned, embracing it like an old friend. I'd missed it quite a bit while imprisoned, and it felt wonderful to have it back.

 **[Father Time has become a part of your Legend! Due to your high compatibility, all parts of Father Time have immediately been made available!]  
[Father Time: All things know time. You just so happen to be the one who owns it. Allows immediate access to all Time-based abilities, at a greatly reduced cost.]**

 **[Due to the effects of Father Time, a new ability has formed!]  
[Infernal Clock {Phantasmal} Lv1]**

No regrets. Nope. None.

 **{For Devouring the remains of a higher being, yet surviving long enough to consume nearly all of his power, all Abilities automatically raise one rank!}**

Wait, really? Holy shit, I had been kidding when I had said I wanted all of my skills insta-ranked.

Mostly.

Probably.

Maybe.

 **{For Devouring the remains of a higher being, yet surviving long enough to consume half of his power, you may choose three physical traits.}  
-Titan's Blood  
-Monstrous Strength  
-King's Aura  
-Golden Eyes**

Fffffuuu—

Ahem. I'd pass on Titan's Blood- that'd probably be more trouble than it was worth. I'd rather not be nine feet tall, thank you very much. Everything else, yes please.

 **[Monstrous Strength has become Divine Strength!]  
[King's Aura has become Authority!]  
[Golden Eyes have become God's Eyes!]  
[God's Eyes have merged with Spider's Eyes!]**

…Okay, then.

 **[You have gained the memories of Chronos the Primordial!]**

 **[You have unlocked the form: Chronos the Primordial!]**

 **[Your power level has raised!]**

 **[Your Talent Values have been raised!]**

Nothing else appeared for a few seconds.

 **[Due to the intense emotional enlightenment you have experienced, the Eyes of Misery have amplified your abilities once more! All physical abilities will now be 300% easier to get.]  
[Your Eyes have evolved to grant you the ability 'Clairvoyance'!]  
[Clairvoyance: An ability given to those with the natural ability to clearly perceive the world through forms of Extrasensory Perception. Takes the form of enhanced visual acuity and perception beyond the limits of sight.]**

 **[Absolute Regrowth has partially negated the effects of 'Memento Mori'!]  
[Remaining uses of 'Memento Mori'—1→ 2]**

I exhaled in relief. I was kind of worried for a moment, there. Having only one life left before you went blind and lost your only advantage was scary as hell. I wasn't not going to question as to why my eyes didn't explode like last time; I was just glad they didn't.

I used my new 'God's Eyes' to pull up my stats.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: What Doesn't Kill You Hurts Like Hell  
Race: Wendigo (*)  
Level: 454_

 _Status:  
-Curse of the Wendigo (PERMENANT) (Negates all mental inhibitions and influences, both positive and negative)  
-Wendigo's Freezing Chill (PERMANANT)_

 _Talent Values:  
MP: 320,460 /320,460 [32,046,000/32,046,000]  
Physical Attack: 11,040  
Physical Defense: 7380  
Magical Attack: 20,640  
Magical Resistance: 24,450  
Agility: 21,843_

 _Total Value: 40,742_

 _Abilities:_ _Traits:_ _**Legacy:**_

 _—Attack Magic (All) {Mystic} Lv24_

 _—Cooking {Mystic} Lv6_

 _—Clairvoyance_ _{Basic} Lv1_

 _—Weapons Mastery {Phantasmal} LvMAX  
-Spear Mastery Lv_ _MAX  
-Archery {Godly} Lv93  
-Swordsmanship {Advanced} Lv10  
_

 _—Smithing {Phantasmal} Lv95_

 _—Absorption Consumption LvMAX_

 _—Arts Proficiency LvMAX  
-Piano and Harp {Godly} LvMAX  
-Brass {Legendary} Lv54  
-Strings {Mystic} Lv96  
-Woodwinds {Advanced} Lv5  
-Voice {Phantasmal} LvMAX  
-Acting {Legendary} Lv2_

 _—Larceny {Phantasmal} Lv5_

 _—Memento Mori {Phantasmal} LvMAX  
-(2 uses left)_

 _—Memorial Lv18/20_

 _'I love my life sooo much right now.'_ I laughed softly as I began preparing Chronos's body for the second time.

Now, if only I were able to find someone to explain what the hell these things _meant_ , I'd be all set. I mean, I guess I could understand most of them, seeing as I had trained my Eyes by trying tons of different things, but why voice? That wasn't not something I can learn with my eyes.

Unless… unless it was actually a racial ability. The Arai did tell me that Wendigos could perfectly mimic human voices. Maybe that was it.

That still didn't explain the rest of the text, though.

I glanced at the odd tabs at the top of the abilities list. Maybe I could...?

 _Traits:_ _Abilities:_ _**Legacy:**_

 _-Devil's Silver Tongue_

 _-Mangekyō Kangeki (Kaleidoscopic Eyes of Emotion)  
Eye of Insight LvMAX  
Eye of Hypnotism LvMAX  
God's Eyes LvMAX  
Devil's Eyes of Night LvMAX_

 _-Angelic Form LvMAX_

 _-Perfect Body LvMAX_

 _-Absolute Regrowth {Phantasmal} Lv13  
Phantasmal Rebirth LvMAX_

 _-Divinity Lv3  
Divine Strength {Godly} Lv1  
Divine Core LvMAX  
Pure Soul {Godly} Lv5  
-Galvanism {Godly} Lv32  
-Authority {Godly} Lv1  
Dominion over Time (LvMAX)  
Dominion over Death (LvMAX)_

Huh. So that was where those went. Cool. I guess God's Eyes just amplified and compartmentalized, then. That would definitely be useful.

I wonder what Legacy is?

 _ **Legacy:**_ _Abilities:_ _Traits:_

 _ **—** **Father Time  
[Infernal Clock {Phantasmal} Lv1]  
-Time Pause {Phantasmal} Lv1**_

 _ ** _ **—**_ Angel of Death  
[Annihilation {Phantasmal} Lv2]**_

 _ ** _ **—**_ Shapeshift  
[Chronos the Primordial]  
[Samael the Dragon Eater]  
[Angelic Form]**_

Shapeshift? Was that even something that Wendigos could do? ' _Wait, I remember reading something about this before. Something about their forms being 'unlocked'. Does that mean I can change into them? Sweet.'_

I finished the last bite of my 'fish,' licking my fingers. Then, not wasting a moment's time, I began to look for a way out.

* * *

After much searching and frustration, I finally found a small wooden door in one of the back rooms that, when opened, led to a small wooden hovel. I walked through the decrepit building, ducking under sagged timbers, and kicked through the wall on the other side.

And exited into the cool winter air of the Underworld.

A harsh snowstorm whirled around me, winds tugging at my ratty clothes. I dropped the decrepit backpack on the ground next to me as I stumbled forward in awe. The cold did nothing to me, recognizing me as one of its own as the frozen air filled my lungs. I began to laugh hysterically, sinking to my knees as I scooped snow into my hands and threw it into the air. "I'm alive," I whispered deliriously. "I'm back."

I stumbled to my feet, running in circles and rolling around in the snow like a madman. "I'M BACK!" I cackled.

I didn't give a shit what others might've thought of me right then. I had finally made my way back to where I had come from.

Well. Not quite.

I faltered slightly, stretching my newfound Clairvoyant powers over the area around me. Nothing seemed even _remotely_ familiar, and there wasn't a soul within five miles. I used my bullshit Agility to run up a tree, but there was no one to be seen. Just me, a wooden hovel, and a shitload of trees.

…Well, at least I was out of the Pit, right? Now I just had to get back to Naskapi. And who could possibly hurt me after everything I'd been through?

Just in case, though, I was going to continue grinding my abilities while no one was around. I wasn't touching Infernal Clock, but that Time Pause ability looked interesting.

'Time' to train, I guess.

Heheheheh.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Poor Dee. Staying in the Pit of Despair for as long as he did obviously did a number on his sanity. Not that he cares, of course. He's too busy trying to figure out what his powers even _do_.  
**

 **Now, to get to the main purpose of this note.**

 **Dear readers, I'd like your input on something. I'm torn on whether or not to give Dee a harem. On one hand, I think it'd be adorably terrifying to have a single pairing between a Wendigo and a Hellcat. On the other, it's DxD. It's practically a crime not to have a harem.**

 **I have a poll up on my profile for you to vote. It's a simple yes or no, and it'll take you less than five seconds to complete.**

 **If I do make this into a harem, it's not going to be the same 'fluff and cuddles' feel as in UtV. This story too focused on how shitty life can get for Dee to have a happy ending. I'm also limiting it to four girls, who have already been chosen to be as relevant to the plot as possible. If this story turns into a harem, I will eventually write one dedicated to a single pairing, so no need to worry about that.**

 **Also, introducing my new beta reader, chessru!**

 **B/N:**

 **Hey everyone! This is chessru (not the author speaking). So I got the opportunity to become to Beta reader for this story (heh, I get updates faster than you!) so WOOOOO! Anyhow, I'm basically in charge of correcting grammar and stuff like that. Just throwin' that out there. Until next time!**

* * *

 **REVIEWS:**

 **Awkane:  
**

 **To give you a baseline, normal human stats are an even ten. Olympic athletes can get up to fifty in the physical range. Dee ate a half-Devil hybrid and a Low-Class Devil when he was transforming into a Wendigo, giving him the stats of both.**

 **As for the rest... well, he _didn't_ survive. He died. Repeatedly. In agony. He's a intelligence-based character that relies on his Divination to get him out of bad situations. Since Chronos was blocking his Sight, he had no choice but to avoid all conflict unless he knew he could win. Honestly speaking, he would've been fucked if he hadn't brought his weapons with him.**

 **Also, Cerberus is the top of the pile when it comes to monsters. It has to be, in order to guard Hades' throne room. Dee would die in seconds if faced with one.**

 **nanayakiri:**

 **I do have a scene in mind for their meeting, but you'll have to wait a bit. Dee still has to figure out his way back to Naskapi.**

 **chessru:**

 **It's not an RPG, he just can't scry anything but numbers. The fact that he's not in a game is something he's all too aware of, as emphasized by his-hey, wait, I know you! You sneaky bastard, trying to slip one past me...**

 **Dominus1389:**

 **As the A/N said, I'm taking a poll to see whether or not to give Dee a harem. If I do, the absolute max will be four girls. Any more and their character quality suffers.**


	7. The long road back

**Chapter 6: The long road back**

* * *

Time Pause, as it turns out, did exactly as the name implied. Except ten times better. In exchange for a truly _enormous_ amount of mana, I could interact with my surroundings with absolutely no restrictions whatsoever.

However, thanks to my Divine Core, whose function I quickly learned from my Kangeki, my mana pool was effectively increased by over a hundred times. (Around a hundred and three times, actually. My God's Eyes, being a mere scrying tool rather than an actual, scientific instrument, only rounded to the nearest hundred)

In contrast, Gáe Bolg needed 50 MP to use its basic attack. Before it leveled up, Time Pause demanded 50,000 _per second_. Before I activated Divine Core, I could only use it for six seconds before collapsing from exhaustion. But now? I could keep it up for _eleven minutes._ I had over thirty-two _million_ mana points, giving me enough mana to easily use Balmung hundreds, if not thousands of times. And, thanks to my Galvanism letting me release all the required mana all at once rather than having to charge when activating an Ability or Noble Phantasm, I could easily fire any given weapon in less than a second. Which meant I could use Balmung together with Galvanism to great effect, activating it multiple times consecutively to beam-spam the hell out of whatever I was facing.

So… yeah. That was about it. My slowly increasing Clairvoyance radius revealed nothing new, much to my disappointment. After Time Pause reached level twenty and my other skills got high enough to survive nearly anything the world could throw at me, I headed out and began to search for civilization.

The first thing I looked for was magic. My Eyes could detect faint traces of it scattered about, even disregarding the slightly disturbing Curse of Hell still painting the sky red. Not enough to form a coherent trail, though, so that was a dead end. My Clairvoyance was less than helpful, telling me only of my immediate surroundings rather than pointing me in the direction of a living being.

Wait. _Living beings_.

I tripped, smashing my face against a tree as the thought hit me. ' _Normal humans give off heat, moron. The Kangeki has thermal vision. Even if the extremes of temperature in Tartarus made it useless, up here in the snow any living being will shine like a beacon.'_

I ignored the sensation of my regeneration repairing my face as I stood, focusing my magic on my Eyes. I shifted my perception through the polaroid and high-frequency settings, finally reaching thermal after a bit of a struggle. I never needed anything other than the standard Kangeki in the Pit, so I was a bit out of practice.

I scanned my surroundings slowly, getting used to the odd collage of color. Blue, blue, and yet more blue greeted me as I turned, straining my vision to see as far as possible. At maximum distance, I could easily see up to ten kilometers in a given direction, but that left me unable to see things close to me. Alone as I was, it wasn't an issue. I continued turning, hope dwindling as I still saw nothing but muted colors. Until, finally, _there_! A brilliant cluster of reds and yellows, travelling through the snow.

I grinned, moving my Clairvoyance in their direction to try and judge whether or not to approach them. I zeroed in my vision, getting a good look at them for the first time. My smile froze in its place. There were six of them, two to three feet tall and human-shaped, but with larger noses, ears, and fingers. Their smooth, grey skin glowed unnaturally under their cloaklike clothes. I saw hints of porcupine quills under the odd garments as they moved, hinting even further towards their supernatural origins.

I immediately recognized them from the descriptions I'd gotten from various monsters. Pukwudgies. They were from the same folklore as Wendigos, hence my extensive knowledge on them. Their primary weapons consisted of poisoned arrows, and they were able to appear and disappear at will, create fire, and morph into porcupines. And, more disturbingly, they were able to control the souls of the humans they'd killed.

My mind idly began drawing connections between them and Wendigos. After all, Wendigos absorbed souls, and how different was that from controlling them?

' _Wait._ Teleport. _They can teleport,'_ I suddenly realized, my attention caught. ' _Could they teleport me back to Naskapi?'_

It was worth a try. The Cyclops who had told me of them had mentioned that they might help me if I found one, but there weren't many Native American monsters in the Greek underworld. All I really had to go on was the fact that creatures from the same Pantheon tended to help each other out whenever possible.

' _But still… if they can help…'_

I switched back to my normal vision, wincing slightly at the eye strain it caused. Then, focusing on where I had last seen the goblin-like creatures, I broke into a dead run. My bullshit Agility showed itself as the world around me blurred, and I couldn't help but bask in the sheer overpowered nature of my speed. Within seconds, I was slowing to subsonic speeds, skidding to a stop just in front of what seemed to be the leader, causing the entire company to halt.

I cleared my throat. "Excuse me, but—"

Before I even had the chance to finish, hysterical screams and cries rang out from the entire group as utter chaos seemed to break out.

"DON'T EATS US!" one wailed, trembling. "WE GIVE YOU MEATS!"

I blinked. "Er…"

"PLEASE!" the leader begged, falling to its' knees. "We is kind and helpful! But don't eats us, we needses our heads!"

'… _All right, then. I guess their brains must be really tiny,'_ I mused, staring at the panicking Pukwudgies. I cleared my throat loudly once more, and all of them froze.

"I'm not going to eat you."

For a second, no one uttered a sound. Clearly, they hadn't been expecting this.

"It speekses!" one whispered.

"It must be strong!" another squeaked.

The leader stepped forward, trembling. "Er, our apologies your graciousness. We's just be walking through. We's sorry for intruding."

I sighed. "This isn't my land, as far as I know there's no one for miles. I just needed your help with something."

The leader bobbed his head furiously, eyes bugging out. "Y-yes sir!"

I rolled my eyes. ' _Dumb as a sack of rocks.'_ "I have things to trade if you want, but I need to get somewhere, and I hear you can teleport."

Cha-ching!

All traces of fear vanished in an instant as I offered a trade. I snickered softly as the their eyes lit with greed, sharp teeth showing as they smiled. "We's can," the leader agreed smoothly. "But what cans you offers us?"

I tilted my head. "I offer an item of immense value, one that you'd never get anywhere else."

"OoOOOH," all six chorused in excitement. One started bouncing up and down, large ears flopping.

"What, what?" the leader chanted.

I couldn't hide my grin. They were so… simple. Almost adorable, really. I leaned down, reaching into my bag and pulling out a wrapped package. "What can you offer me?"

All eyes landed on the roundish package. One whimpered. The leader swallowed heavily. "Powerful," he murmured. Then, louder. "We's can offers you the knowledge of telseportinges."

"Teleporting," I corrected.

It waved me off. "Yes, yes. That. We's uses candleses, and we's can teaches you how to makes them."

That sounded promising. "Candles?"

It nodded seriously. "The fastest way to travel is by candlelight."

I sat down, my cool skin not even melting the snow beneath me. "All right, teach me."

It grinned. "Only if we gets the thingy."

"Of course." I put up a hand, stopping it as it reached out to snatch the bag away. "But only after you teach me."

"Good, good." It scuttled closer, and I set the package back in my bag. The leader pulled a grimy piece of paper from its cloak, then handed it to me. It looked up at the dreary sky, grumbling to itself as it pulled out an old beer bottle carved with runes. I memorized all the runes instantly, my Eyes startling the little men with their glow. The leader swallowed nervously, but continued. "See, we's set the bottle down…" He placed the bottle in the snow. "And wait for stars to give lights."

I glanced up at the sky. "Yeah, give me a sec." I pulled the mental muscle that lead to my weather manipulation, and the skies slowly cleared to reveal glimmering stars. "Right. Go on."

The Pukwudgie smiled hesitantly. It added the last glyph, a small activation and regulation lesser rune, and the glass became unnaturally clear – crystal clear. "Now. Watch."

The bottle began to glow. Pure silver light burst to life in tiny, tiny sparks in the air, dancing and swirling. A wisp of white smoke, silvery-white, drifted down from on high and flowed into the vases, bringing with it tiny silver dots of energy. Sparks that brightened and dimmed on the whim of passing time. The bottle filled quickly, glowing in the dim light of the moon.

"See?" the Pukwudgie whispered excitedly. "Now, gives me the paper!" I handed it the paper, and it bounced up and down. "Where does you want to be going?"

"Naskapi."

It blinked. "Er…"

I sighed. "It's near the Lucifer's mansion."

It scratched the quills that grew from its back. "Which Lucifer?"

"The… newest one. I doubt you'd get names," I grumbled. As adorable as these creatures might have been, they were exasperating to talk to.

It shrugged, scratching down odd glyphs that I had memorized and resolved to learn when I had the chance. "All right. Watch."

It curled the paper into a tube, carefully removing the cap of the bottle and quickly slipping the paper inside. Then it slammed the cap back on, backing away. The entire thing glowed brighter and brighter, and the little men shrieked in glee. Then the glow died down, revealing a shattered bottle and a misshapen silver candle.

I smiled to myself. ' _That's probably why they didn't teleport away. They don't have the materials to give all of them a candle.'_ "All right. A deal's a deal." I tossed him the package, reaching out and taking the candle. "That's the skull of a Titan. It should be worth a fortune on the black market."

The Pukwudgies all oohed and aahed over it as I stepped back, a flicker of flame dancing on my fingertip. Then with a roar and a flash of light, my surroundings disappeared.

I opened my eyes to a dark room, one that looked almost like a cellar. I coughed and winced at the rancid stench that pervaded throughout the room. My night vision kicked in as I looked up.

 ****The Eyes of Misery have been damaged*  
-The power 'Memento Mori' has been nullified.  
-The power 'Memorial' has been nullified.  
-The power 'Spider's Eyes' has been nullified.**

 ***Regeneration time: 5d 6h 10m***

' _Are you shitting me?'_ I grumbled to myself. ' _I know my Eyes are sort of fragile now that I'm losing my vision, but are you freaking serious? A simple flash causing a week of damage is a bit over-the-top.'_

I glanced around, hoping I wasn't anywhere too dangerous while I 'recovered.'

I was in a cramped space, all concrete and stone. The room seemed mostly empty on first glance, only holding a small bed in the corner. A large iron door covered the only entrance, which was rather troublesome. At least I was safe, though.

I rose to my feet, looking for an exit that didn't involve tearing the door off its hinges. If I really was in the Lucifer's dungeons, I'd rather not add property damage to my breaking-and-entering charge. Pissing off Sirzechs Lucifer without my Eyes was tantamount to suicide.

Something shifted in the corner of my vision, and I froze. What I had initially assumed to be a pile of rags on the bed turned out to be a little girl about my age. Her arms and legs were almost twigs, and her gaunt face hid a pair of exquisite hazel eyes.

I stepped back in surprise, cursing my blurry vision. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

She blinked, huddling even further against the wall.

I coughed, glancing down at my hands. They had a silvery sheen, likely an aftereffect of using the Candle. "Right. Don't talk much. Mind if I stay here for a bit? I'd like to talk to whoever's in charge here. Maybe find a map?"

Another blink.

I grimaced. ' _Well, at least she's somewhat aware. Maybe I can get a response out of her if I just leave her alone for a bit? I've talked to shy people before, so I at least know the basics, but…'_ I eyed her rags and ratty hair, strikingly similar to my own. ' _I don't think I should just leave her here.'_

I walked slowly over, and she twitched violently at my approach, trying to scoot away. I sat on the bed, saying nothing. She stared at me with fearful eyes. I did my best to seem as harmless as possible, and we remained like that for what seemed like hours. Eventually, I could feel her relaxing as she realized that I bore her no ill will. Her trembling subsided, and I decided to try speaking with her. "My name is Dee," I began softly. "Do you know where we are?"

She started trembling uncontrollably once more, and I did my best restrain my impatience. I lapsed into silence once more until the trembling stopped, then began again. "I promise I'm not here to hurt you," I said soothingly, moving into a more relaxed position. Legs crossed, arms spread, palms open and facing her. Not that I couldn't kill her in a heartbeat if I wanted, but it was the thought that counted. "It's fine if you don't want to talk. I'll talk instead. How about I tell you about myself? Would you like that?"

She didn't move.

"All right, fine. Not me. How about my home town?"

Still nothing, save a small twitch of her mouth.

I cheered internally. Progress. "All right then." I took a deep breath. "My home town is called Naskapi, and it's the oddest place you'll ever see…"

* * *

"…And then Carn tripped over it," I finished with a grin. "Twice."

Soft giggles rewarded me as the small girl noticeably brightened. I had been telling her stories for quite a while, now. No one had come to visit, despite it being well over half a day. I would've offered the girl some food, but, well, I only had people jerky left.

Still, her mood had increased quite drastically. She seemed almost like a different person: instead of huddling miserably in the corner of the bed, she was now sitting up, legs crossed and leaning forward almost eagerly, her eyes filled with life. I felt rather proud of myself.

"So…" I began as her giggles died down. "Let's start over. Hi, my name's Dee. What's yours?"

She smiled slightly. "V-Valiant."

"Valiant," I repeated, savoring the name. "It's beautiful."

Valiant flushed, hiding behind the curtain of her hair. "M-my mother gave it to me," she admitted shyly.

I didn't press, knowing from experience that mentioning parents got complicated fast. Even if she was perfectly happy with her mother, she'd still ask about mine in return. And I doubted she wanted to hear of my mother's brutal murder and disfigurement. "How are you today, Valiant?" I asked instead, continuing to smile at her.

"I'm fine." Her stutter had almost vanished, and she seemed almost relaxed. "You're very nice, mister Dee."

I shrugged. "I'm better than most of the assholes I grew up around, that's for sure. I'm not nice by any stretch of the word, though. I'm just making conversation until Lord Lucifer gets here."

She flinched at the word 'Lucifer,' and I sighed internally. ' _Back to square one…'_ "We don't have to talk about him if you don't want to, though," I continued without missing a beat. My Sight was gradually returning now that I was out of Chronos's castle, and I was more than happy to exploit it to dodge conversational pitfalls. "What do you want to talk about?"

The girl hesitated. "I… I want to hear more about the outside world." she whispered at last.

"Well, what would you like to hear about first?"

* * *

I mock groaned, rising to my feet and stretching. "Wow, it's been a long time. Maybe I should go get—"

"No!" Valiant's voice rang out, eyes panicked. "Please, don't go!"

I blinked. "…I was going to get food from my bag." Her outburst was rather unexpected; it was the first time she had raised her voice. "I have some water if you want it, but my food is probably deadly to you."

She shook her head. "Water, no food. He'll know I ate."

I shrugged. "All right, suit yourself." I pulled out my Storage Gem, an idea sparking. "Actually… have you ever tasted fire-water?"

She shook her head. "N-no… what is it?"

I poured some into my hand and let her see it. It lit the room, and both of us squinted against the light. I idly noted that her hair was an iridescent, pearl-like white that shone in the firelight.

The girl carefully touched it, jerking her hand back as it 'burned' her. No wound showed itself as she inspected it, however, and her eyes widened at the revelation. I laughed softly. "It's from the river Phlegathon in the Underworld. It's not filling, but it keeps you from starving to death."

The girl nodded, lifting my hand to her lips and sipping. I was startled for a few moments; my Sight had not warned me that this was going to happen. Apparently it had been a snap decision on the girl's part. She wrinkled her nose adorably, looking confused at the taste. "Ick."

I laughed, louder this time. "I know. It sucks. But it's all I've got." I glanced at the door once more. "You know, if you wanted out, I could get rid of the door—"

"No!" she cut in, shaking her head emphatically. "No. P-please. Don't go." Her cheeks reddened slightly. "I-I don't have anyone else…"

I wish I could say that my heart warmed at her words, but it really didn't. If anything, her affection made me feel even worse about myself. ' _I'm really not a human anymore,'_ I thought, detached. ' _Just an undead monstrosity tricking a little girl into helping him.'_

"Well, okay." I shifted in my seat, a habit I had picked up from watching other monsters. I didn't need to move, but others found it creepy if I sat too still. "Why can't you leave?"

Fear warped the girl's innocent features, highlighting a thin scar beneath her eye. "B-because he wouldn't like it," she whispered.

I raised an eyebrow. "He who?"

"M-my father." Her voice dropped even lower. "H-he's really strong, a-and he throws things when he's upset."

' _Must be where the scar is from,'_ I mused. ' _Well, as fucked up as that is, her father might be the Crimson Lucifer for all I know. I might be good, but I doubt I could match the head of the Underworld.'_

"I see." I scooted a bit closer to her. "Hey, I know some heat spells if you're cold… and I know how hard it is to sleep when you're cold."

Her eyes lit up, causing me to feel impossibly worse about myself. I reached out, wrapping my arms around her and cranking up the heat in the room. She snuggled into me without hesitation, ignoring the iciness of my skin.

I noticed faint patterns of white across her flesh. Scars marring her perfect form. ' _They must be from abuse,'_ I thought clinically. But no matter how hard I tried to get angry about that, I just… couldn't. The girl was safe now, and that was enough for me. My Sight had warned me that she would've passed in her sleep if I hadn't offered to warm her, and she would've died of starvation within a day if I hadn't given her the water. I wasn't about to give her some of my people jerky and make the rest of her life hell, so I'd just have to make something up. I knew there was someone else nearby, I'd just have to draw them in.

I grinned deviously as a plan began to form. I snaked a single tendril of magic out of the cell and up, up, up into the sky above us. Then I began to pour mana into it, brewing a storm so fierce that it struggled in and out of my control like a raging bull. Then, I released it.

Thunder shook the world around us, the concrete cell vibrating at the impact. I could hear distant rain above us, pounding echoing beats onto a far-off roof. ' _A mansion, then, or some large structure.'_ My smile died as the presence I saw failed to show up in my Sight. ' _Well… it was a far-off plan, anyway.'_ I closed my eyes, trying to calm my thoughts. "Might as well try to sleep," I muttered to myself, deactivating my Eyes. My Sight would wake me if something changed.

* * *

' _I'm beginning to figure out how the Curse of the Wendigo works,'_ I decided, stroking Valiant's hair. The action soothed me, though it was decidedly different from stroking Kuroka's hair. Less silky, for one. ' _It only shuts down things that aren't about me. Valiant gets abused? I didn't give a shit. But now that she actually means something to me, I'm able to get angry about it. Curious how that works.'_

The small girl stirred, blearily opening her eyes to look up at me. "M-morning." Her cheeks flushed softly.

I smiled down at her. "Morning," I greeted. "Care to get out of here today?"

She shook her head, shyly tugging on a small braid I had done for her. "N-no. I'm fine."

I shrugged. I was more than used to sitting and waiting from all the practice I'd had in the caves. This girl was obviously important; someone would check on her eventually. Even if it'd been half a week already, I didn't give up hope. "So what do you want to talk about?"

She hummed softly, still tugging on her braid. "W-what do you want to do when you get out of here?" she finally asked, eyes shifting to the side.

I blinked. "Um… well, I guess I'll go back to Naskapi and pick up my Book."

"And then?" she prodded.

I hid a smile. Half a week ago, she would never have pressed me to continue. Progress indeed. "And then I'll get a mansion," I decided dramatically. "It shall be glorious."

She giggled. "I'd visit you."

"Oh, no you wouldn't," I corrected. Her face twisted in alarm, and I continued. "Because you'd be living there too. Along with my friend Kuroka and my mentor Von. It'll be awesome."

"O-oh, no, I couldn't live there," she murmured, averting her face. I caught more than a hint of self-loathing in that sentence. "I could never…" She shook her head. "I'm not important enough to live at a mansion."

"All right. Have it your way. You don't have to be a guest." I was still feeling rather silly. "You could be the maid. Like Grayfia."

She looked confused. "G-Grayfia?"

I nodded. Since she hadn't recognized the name, I at least knew that this place didn't belong to Sirzechs Lucifer. "Grayfia Lucifage," I repeated, scouring my mind for more information. "She's the most badass maid in history. She would've been a Maou if she had beaten Lady Leviathan for it."

"Maid," Valiant murmured. "Powerful?"

"If you wanted to be." I grinned. "Like… a battle-maid or something. It'd be epic."

The little girl smiled, eyes suddenly glistening with unshed tears. I had a sudden panic moment as the tears dripped down her face, my awkwardness with crying girls not having gone away in my isolation. I hesitantly stroked her hair as she sobbed, uncertain what to do. Comfort was Kuroka's thing, not mine.

"I-I'd like that," she whispered through tears. "I'd like that a lot."

I opened and closed my mouth several times, not having the heart to tell her I had been joking. "Well that's great." I said instead, glancing at the door. "What do you want to do once you get out of here?"

She froze, slight tremors racking her thin frame. I sighed. ' _Right. Abuse victim. Probably had all thoughts of escape beaten out of her.'_ "If you got out, that is," I added smoothly. "Hypothetically."

The girl slowly relaxed, but didn't stop trembling. "I-I…" She paused, uncertain. The future shifted rapidly at that moment, and I winced at the backlash. Whatever she was considering, it was incredibly important. "I…"

"Whatever you want," I encouraged. "Money, fame, power, _revenge_ …"

She jerked at that last one. "Y-yes," she whispered. "Revenge. I want revenge."

"Great!" I chirped, giving her a sunny smile. "Then just keep that in mind. Need any tips? Some help polishing your skills? I can always—"

"N-no." Her voice was soft, but firm and determined. "I have to get stronger first." Her eyes flashed. "Strong enough to kill him."

"Okay," I agreed.

 ***Regeneration time: 2d 23h 43m***

"So…" I trailed off, raising an eyebrow. "What else do you want to talk about?"

She tilted her head, considering my words. Then she made a determined face, turning to look me in the eye. A first for her. "Tell me what a maid does."

' _Hoo-boy.'_

* * *

"Knight to C-6. Check."

I grimaced. Despite how hard it was to teach someone chess without a chessboard or even pieces, it was still possible if you treat it as a mental exercise. An 'exercise' she was currently kicking my ass in. Chess was a sport of free-will, so I could hardly cheat using my Sight. "Um, pawn to F-4."

"Bishop to G-5. Checkmate."

"Dammit," I cursed, making her giggle. Having me as a constant conversation partner had already done wonders for her self-confidence. "I swear you're cheating. Do you want to play agai—"

I held up a hand, cutting myself off and putting a finger to my lips. My Sight swam in and out of focus, but a decision was quickly made. We were about to have company.

"Stay quiet," I hissed, activating my Divine Core and steadily lowering the temperature in the room.

I closed my eyes, accelerating my thoughts and peering into the future.

 _A man burst into the small room, keys jingling in the keyhole. He was obviously drunk, staggering about as he squinted into the dark. "Girl!" he slurred, a mad gleam in his eye. "C'mere!"_

 _He spotted me a moment later, stiffening. "You…" He stumbled forward, hand bunching the fabric of my ratty shirt. "Who're you?" he demanded, his scarred face disgustingly grimy and his breath reeking like a dead animal._

" _No one special," I replied calmly. "And you?"_

" _I?" His face twisted in a sneer. "I'm the TRUE Lucifer!" he bellowed, raising a hand and bashing me across the face. "So kneel, you fucking—"_

I grimaced, drawing back and letting the future dissolve. ' _Shit. Well, what if I…?'_

 _A man burst into the small room, keys jingling in the keyhole. He was obviously drunk, staggering about as he squinted into the dark. "Girl!" He slurred, a mad gleam in his eye. "C'mere!"_

 _I threw up a Time Pause, stepping out of his field of vision before resuming. Valiant froze, a deer in the headlights. The man grinned, his hand going to his belt as a half-finished bottle of beer fell to the floor with a crash._

" _I have a gift for you~!" he sing-songed. "Your mother loved it. She had to, or I woulda killed you. I wonder if you'll like it too?"_

 _The white-haired girl just trembled, eyes wide as the man's pants dropped to the floor…_

Nope. Not happening. _Definitely_ nor.

The future shifted as I abruptly discarded that possibility.

I could deduce what had happened already, just from the past five minutes alone. This girl was likely a bastard child of the 'true Lucifer', hence why she was kept down here. Her mother was low-born, probably incredibly beautiful, and likely a servant of the man himself. She had been in no position to resist as he had his way with her, and after he had tried her once, he decided to use her as an outlet for all his twisted desires. Once Valiant was born, she tried to shield her from her father's rage, and probably would've succeeded if her daughter weren't just as beautiful as she was. The 'true Lucifer' thought of his mistress as expendable because her daughter could just as easily 'serve' him, and when she eventually pushed him too far…

I glanced ahead, not wanting to ask directly.

" _Valiant? Has your father ever touched you?" I asked, tilting my head. "Below the waist, that is?"_

 _She shook her head, looking confused. "N-no. Mommy told me that was only for people I loved. Why?"_

So this was the first time, then. Good. That ruled out sexual abuse in addition to physical. Thank God for small miracles. I probably wouldn't have gotten a response out of her for another week if he had done _that_ to her already.

"Valiant?" I asked calmly, memories of a certain gangster rising to the forefront of my mind. "If your father died… would you have anywhere else to go?"

Her eyes widened. "W-w-what?"

"You heard me."

She nodded hesitantly. "U-um… I have a grandfather that visits at times?"

"Great." I looked hard into her eyes. "Would you mind if I killed your father?"

She flinched, beginning to tremble. I sighed, reaching over and pulling her close. Apparently blunt wasn't the way to go, but I doubted I had enough time to explain or enough power to pull her into a Time Pause with me. Instead I just repeated the question, with more emphasis this time. "Would you mind if I killed your scumbag father?"

She continued to tremble. I grimaced, counting down the seconds before the man got here. A different tactic, then. "Valiant. He killed your mother, didn't he?"

She nodded, eyes wide with terror as she glanced at the door. As if even mentioning him would draw his attention.

"I see. Was she a good person?"

She nodded again, firmly this time.

"Would you like me to avenge her?"

Her eyes flashed, and I saw the slightest spark come to life within them. "Yes." There was no hesitation. Anger coated her tone for the first time since I met her.

"All right." I heard the key scrape against the lock.

The door swung open, a bright light flooding into the dark room. A man burst into the small room, keys jingling in the keyhole. He was obviously drunk, staggering about as he squinted into the dark. "Girl!" he slurred, a mad gleam in his eye. "C'mere!"

I stepped forward, power buzzing through my veins. "I'm sorry, who might you be?" I asked politely.

The man blinked, before bursting into laughter. "O-hoh, that is _rich_ ," he chortled. "The little whore's daughter has a boyfriend!" He leered down at me, crooked teeth yellowed and disgusting. "Daddy's going to have a little talk with him, all right?"

A white streak tackled him, causing him to stumble drunkenly back. "D-Dee, run!" Valiant screamed, eyes shut tightly.

I sighed. Apparently she really did have some courage in her. Misplaced, of course. "I'm not moving," I said calmly. "Now, would you like me to take him away to kill him, or kill him right here?"

Her face froze in shock. "W-what?"

"I asked—"

"I know what you asked!" she snapped. "Why aren't you running!"

I smirked. "Oh? Where was this fire while we were talking? And here I thought you were shy."

The man regained his balance, tightening his grip on his bottle until it shattered in his hand. "You little BI—"

I caught his arm with the ease of swatting a fly. Both father and daughter blinked in surprise. "Valiant?" I repeated. "Your decision."

To her credit, she grasped the situation in record time. "Here." Rage smoldered in her eyes. "I want you to kill him here."

"Great!" I chirped, tightening my grip. "Mercy, brutality, or plain torture?"

"U-um…" She hesitated, then clenched her teeth. All doubt vanished from her mind. "Make it hurt."

"I was planning on it," I deadpanned. "Hence the whole 'killing him' bit. But how much do you want it to hurt?"

She glanced at her father's face, stepping back from him. She took a deep breath. "H-he strangled my mother to death," she spat, raw hatred burning in her gaze. "Can you do the same?"

I raised an eyebrow. "What, no beating?"

She faltered, looking surprised. "I thought beatings were only for girls?"

I stared for a moment. '… _The sad thing is, Naskapi would consider her practically untouched by its' standards. She hasn't been raped or molested yet, and she only has scars rather than festering wounds.'_ "Right…" I drawled. "No, beatings are for people who rape children, too. Isn't that right, you little asshole?"

The man spat at me. "Please. I'm gonna rip your head clean off and shit down your throat, you little—"

 _Crunch._

"AAAhaaaHHH!" he screamed, his arm snapping like a brittle twig beneath my strength. For the hell of it, I glanced at his level.

 **(Real Fake)  
[Razevan Lucifer]  
{Race: Pureblood Devil}  
[Lv. 45]  
{Status: Agony}**

Oh my _God_ , he was weak. Jesus, did he do nothing but sit around all day and drink? Fucking _Ugnar_ could pwn this guy, and he was cannon fodder to the real monsters in the Pit. How strong was his daughter if he was this weak?

 **(Aspiring Maid)  
** _ **-White Dragon Emperor-**_ **  
[Valiant Lucifer]  
{Race: Half-Devil}  
[Lv. 166]  
{Status: Hero Worship (Medium)}**

'… _That's odd. What's with the italics?'_ I wondered, casually catching the man's other arm as he tried to swing at me. "It must suck to have a daughter that's stronger than you," I commented, a theory brewing in the back of my mind.

Razevan's eyes flashed with rage, and he tried to kick me with a booted foot. I rolled my eyes. "Jesus, inferiority complex much? No wonder you're so insecure. Your untrained daughter is over three times your power level." I casually lifted him in the air, slamming him into the ground. He tried to form a magic circle, but I crushed his mangled fist with my foot, and he screamed. "You know… I actually feel slightly disgusted by you," I told him, ignoring his struggles. "Valiant, do you mind if I try something out on him?"

She shook her head wordlessly, eyes wide.

"Great!" I pulled a good-sized chunk of power out, channeling it through my arm. " **Curse.** "

The man jerked, and his status shifted.

 **(Real Fake)  
[Razevan Lucifer]  
{Race: Pureblood Devil}  
[Lv. 15]  
{Status: Cursed (Weakness)}**

"Okay, so that works." I mumbled. " **Curse.** "

 **{Status: Cursed (Weakness, Fragility)}**

"Makes me glad my life isn't an RPG. Most old RPGs can't handle multiple debuffs." I looked over at Valiant. "Hey, Vali, what if I made him live in this cell instead?"

Her eyes widened. "W-what?"

"I'm saying, how awesome would it be if he starved to death in the same cell he tried to starve you in?" I asked, a smile tugging at my lips.

Her eyes flashed as she considered it. "He'd just escape." She seemed rather disappointed.

I snorted. "Oh, please. This cell was made to hold something a lot stronger than him. Isn't that right?" I asked, returning my gaze to the pathetic man.

He glared defiantly at me, his hair stained with flecks of blood. "Fuck yo-MMGPF." He choked as my fist flew through his teeth and into his mouth. I pulled it out at the feeling of saliva, glancing over the ruined hole that had been a mouth. "There. Now he can't eat, either. Well? What'll it be?"

She nodded emphatically. "Let me get some rope." Her eyes flashed. "The bastard will have to sit here and imagine hanging himself until he starves."

I grinned. "Good girl."

She beamed. I didn't doubt that that had been the first positive reinforcement she'd had in a very long time. She rushed out, disappearing from sight. I grinned down at the ruined man. "It's nothing personal here, buddy, but you're a grade-A asshole and I need someone to test my powers on before I try taking anyone else on. Let's see how many of these I can stack at once. **Curse.** "

 **{Status: Cursed (Weakness, Fragility, Rot, Starvation, Bad Luck, Fatigue, Nausea, Avulsion, Slowness, Wither, Mana Drain XV)}**

"Quite a lot, it seems," I mused. "That'll be useful. If only I could use poison, that would complete the set."

I heard the pattering of feet, and I glanced back to see Valiant holding a thick belt. She wore a wicked grin, her eyes almost glowing as she handed it to me.

' _A belt? I guess it'd work, but why—oh, likely for the irony.'_ I eyed her, seeing that some of the scars matched the size of the belt buckle. '… _Okay, then. Maybe she's more sadistic than I gave her credit for.'_

I wordlessly took it, tossing it into the room and hurling the man against the wall. He collided with a terrible crunch and didn't get back up. I stepped back, swinging the heavy door closed behind me and locking it tight. Valiant made no move to stop me, relieving me of my worry that she might try to use the belt on her father. I honestly wasn't sure what I would've done if she had started beating him.

"Now what?" the girl asked curiously.

I beamed at her. "Watch."

I placed a hand on the door, concentrating and bringing forth the alien, paradoxical feeling of Father Time. I used my Clairvoyance to map the room, bringing it into my Domain as easily as breathing. Then, concentrating as well as I could, I turned the mental dial forward. The door before me shimmered with golden power as I used Chronos's Authority to affect the space within.

"All right, done." My grin turned positively _savage_. "Care to see what's inside? Ten Gold on him cracking and strangling himself."

She flinched at my tone. "U-um… what do you mean?"

I gestured to the door. "The asshole. Do you think he starved or asphyxiated?"

"But… he's not dead yet," she pointed out.

I shrugged. "Well he wasn't ten seconds ago. Now he's been in there for over a year. I would've gone for half that, but my control isn't too good yet."

She blinked, and a _very_ disturbing smile crossed her face. "Really?" she whispered, eyes gleaming. "He's dead?"

"Probably. Nothing can leave a Singularity unless it has the power to break out, and he didn't have the power for that." I shrugged. "But I suppose anything's possible. I managed to bypass one once- killed a Titan with it."

She reached for the door, unlocking it and pulling it open with a speed belying her malnourished form. The stench of a rotting corpse hit me like a bludgeon, and I gagged and stepped back. There's a _reason_ I like my food fresh.

Valiant sank to her knees as she saw the emaciated bag of bones that had once been her father. "He's dead." she whispered. A deranged giggle tore from her throat. "He's DEAD!"

I blinked, taking a step back as she began to laugh madly.

 **{Status: Unhinged}**

Ouch. Maaaybe I should do something about that. ' _Uh… what if I…?'_ I hesitated, trying to make my power do as I wanted.

 **[Soul check: Passed. {4600/50,030}]  
[Trait check: Passed. {Divinity Lv3/0}]**

 ***Your Ascendance has granted you a new ability!*  
[Blessing LvMAX]**

 **[Blessing has been assimilated into the Ability 'Attack Magic (All)'.]**

 **[Ability check: Passed. {Phantasmal-class Abilities: 9/1}]**

 **{Assessing available Abilities…}**

 **{Dominion reached!}**

 **{You have claimed Dominion over Fate!}**

 **[Due to your Authority over Fate, a new ability has formed!]  
[Fate Plunder {Phantasmal} LvMAX]  
[Fate Plunder: The fates of your subordinates are placed under your direct control.]**

'… _Okay, what the fuck just happened?'_ I stared at the spidery text, confused. ' _So… my Dominion is over Fate? Like Chronos's was over Time? Huh. That's…'_ I scratched my head. ' _I don't know what to think of that. It fits, I guess.'_

I scryed Valiant, just to see if my plan had worked.

 **{Status: Blessed (Clear Mind)}**

' _Huh.'_ I blinked, watching as her laughter petered off as she seemed to regain control of herself. ' _That's gonna be useful in the future.'_ I glanced at my mana, gauging how much the 'Blessing' had taken. ' _All right, so that was much less than a Curse took. What was different? Was it because it aligned with my 'Dominion' or whatever? I guess if I'm the God of Fate, it would naturally be easier for me to alter fates. Unless…'_

I nudged my power forward, sighing as my suspicion was confirmed.

 **{Status: Blessed (Increased Growth XV)}**

' _Yep. Only one blessing at a time. Curses stack, Blessings don't. Good to know.'_ I left the current blessing as it was, carefully approaching the possibly unstable girl.

She glanced up at my approach, wordlessly accepting the hand I offered and letting me help her up. "Thank you." Only gratitude and relief remained in her voice. "Thank you so very much."

"Not a problem," I assured her. "You said you wanted revenge, and I figured I might as well help. Revenge is a terrible path to be on, so it was best to nip it in the bud. What now?"

She blinked, wiping tears from her eyes. "U-um…"

I waited patiently for her to decide, my Sight not being too helpful. The whole 'free will' thing and all.

"I…" She looked up at me, visibly conflicted. "I-Is that offer from before still open?"

I tilted my head in confusion. ' _What offer?'_ "O-of course," I agreed, still confused but not wanting to push my luck. "I always keep my promises when they're made to pretty girls."

 **【** **All conditions have been met. Would you like to accept [Valiant Lucifer] as your Priestess?** **】** **  
** _(Aspiring Maid)  
-White Dragon Emperor-  
[Valiant Lucifer]  
{Race: Half-Devil}  
[Lv. 166]  
{Status: Charmed (Severe)}_

 **【** **Y/N** **】**

' _Er… yes?'_

 **【** **Fate Plunder has been activated!** **】** **  
** **【** **The fate of [Valiant Lucifer] is now under your control!** **】**

 _(Priestess of Fate)  
-White Dragon Emperor-  
[Valiant]  
{Race: Half-Devil}  
[Lv. 166]  
{Status: Charmed (Severe)}_

"All right!" She smiled, looking almost… happy. "I'll wait for my grandfather, then. He can help me get started."

"Great." I was secretly relieved. If she had insisted on coming with me, I didn't know what I was going to tell Kuroka. Plus, I really just wanted to get out of this whole mess already. "Well… unless you need anything else…"

She nodded furiously, a look of panic crossing her face. "Yes! Please! I need to know how to find you!"

I blinked. '… _Does this have to do with my 'offer'? 'Cause I'm still a bit foggy on what that is.'_ "Er… sure." I agreed awkwardly. "Give me a sec." I pulled a bit of power out of my Core, slightly confused. This whole 'god' thing was more than a bit weird. After a bit of fiddling, I eventually ended up tying a bit of power around her and calling it good. "Does that work?"

Her eyes widened. "O-oh!" She gasped, face flushing. "U-um, yes… I can feel you."

' _Not touching that one,'_ I decided, my Sight only showing a future where she held herself and giggled creepily whenever I tried asking what she meant by that. "Great. Could you point me to, say, a map?"

She pointed up the stairs. "On the left." She hesitated, stepping forward. "Actually… I have one more question."

"Shoot."

"What are you?" She asked tentatively.

I blinked. "Oh. I'm a God of Fate. My name is…" ' _Quick, think of a cool name!'_ "…Dominion." I cracked a charming grin. "But my precious people call me Dee."

Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of red, and her eyes fluttered back into her head as she fainted. It was inevitable, really, considering how tired she probably was. I felt kind of bad for her, considering how the day had gone.

I quickly caught her and lifted her in both arms. I headed up the stairs, exiting into a large sitting room with a map on the wall. I set her on a couch and looked over at the map, giving it a quick once-over. It helpfully marked my current location in red. Now all I had to do was figure out where I was going.

But first…

I glanced back at the white-haired girl, slumbering peacefully on the couch. I hesitantly probed the back of my mind, feeling around until I found the right power. Finally, I found my new Ability and 'tugged' on it.

 **【** **Fate Plunder has been activated!** **】** **  
** **【** **Command?** **】**

"I guess… just…" I hesitated. "Just be safe, all right?"

 **【** **Command accepted.** **】**

My apparent Priestess moaned softly in her sleep, twitching oddly. I paid it little heed, having done what I could already.

 **【** **Would you like to impart a sigil?** **】**  
 **【** **Y/N** **】**

' _Nope. I am_ not _dealing with this shit right now. I'm going to find Naskapi, get my Book back, and then figure out what the hell is going on.'_

'… _But first, I have_ got _to take another training break. I swear to God that my powers are actively fucking with me.'_

* * *

I blinked, staring in silence as I beheld my city for the first time in nearly a year.

' _Good God, has it only been a year? I would think it another lifetime, for all that's changed. I'm no longer the same person who entered the mines all those months ago, not even close.'_

Would Kuroka even recognize me? Would Von?

For the first time in a long time, I felt fear. Not the spike of terror that says _get the fuck out of here, you moron!_ , but the creeping feeling that worsens the more you think about it. I was scared of returning, I realized. Scared that they would think me a monster. And who would blame them? How many beings had I Devoured, just to sate my hunger? How many more had been killed just for sport?

I sat down, still looking over the lights of Naskapi.

What was the point of all my struggles, then? If I wasn't going back, then what _was_ I to do? What could I be? Naskapi was all I'd ever known.

' _No. I'll go back. I'll talk to Von, at the very least. I owe him that much. And since Kuroka has the Book, I can't chicken out forever. I'll face them. First Von, then Kuroka. And if all else fails, if one of them calls me a monster and tries to kill me… I still have two uses of Memento Mori left.'_

I sighed, scanning the future with my newly returned Sight. Since the decisions involved were entirely based on free will, I couldn't accurately predict how they would respond. For every future where they accepted me, there was another branch where they didn't. Divination was a tool, not a cure-all. I would have to finish this myself.

I rose, and in a blur of motion, I was on my way back home.

I arrived at the city limits in less than an instant, slowing to walking speeds and slipping back under the sound barrier. There was barely a breeze as I seamlessly transitioned between running at MACH 2 and walking at a normal pace. Practice had indeed paid off where my Agility was concerned.

I continued an even speed, taking the time to observe the new features of the city that had popped up while I was gone. A taxi cab rushed by me on the street, taking me by surprise. Apparently the industry had really picked up since I left, seeing as very few cars had ever passed by on the roads unless they were trucks carrying something. I could see the value in importing the industry from Lilith, especially knowing how huge Naskapi was. Speaking of which, I could see several dozen repainted or entirely new buildings where old lots had been, and I suspected that the city had grown significantly in my absence. Yet some things had stayed the same, such as the congested sidewalks and the general sense of apathy from the city's population.

My sensitive hearing picked up a whispered comment about the 'weird kid's shitty clothes' from a passerby, and I glanced down at my garb. I wore a short-sleeved shirt that looked like it had been through a wood chipper, grime covering the entire thing and dirt or ash staining multiple places. I suspected that several spots were actually dried blood. My pants were in a similar state, the once thick cloth now ratty and threadbare.

I smiled to myself, looking for the alley that led to the commercial district. It felt nice to have my biggest problem be my clothes. Much safer than an entire Pit full of monsters who were held back from their desire to kill me only by their own laws. Or a possible cave-in if I breathed too loudly. Or, hell, disturbing messages about my mysterious powers binding little girls into eternal servitude.

Let's see if my favorite shop is still open, shall we?

I ignored the thugs leaning on the sides of the alley, knowing that I could paste them in less than a second if I so chose. They probably just thought I was some homeless orphan, what with the remnants of a backpack and torn clothes. And technically, they were right. I just didn't give a shit.

A short walk later and I was pushing open the door to a familiar building, a bell ringing at my entry. The employee behind the counter wasn't anyone I recognized, so I ignored him. Instead, I glanced around the store for the clothing section. I found it in less than an instant, weaving around the other customers and displays of overpriced jewelry. I spent some time perusing the options, not really all that excited about anything. At least, not until I saw an entire rack of pitch black tracksuits.

I was on those things faster than Von onto a burrito. They seemed like genuine silk, something that God's eyes confirmed with little effort.

 **[Black Silk Tracksuit]  
[55/55]  
{Effects: +3 Physical Resistance}**

…All right, so the stats on it sucked. But it was durable, reusable, simple, and comfortable. Plus, it was both black and made of silk. Black was not only the best color for blending in, but it also hid any bloodstains. Silk washed easily, and was an organic material to boot. Magic didn't pair too well with synthetic materials, as they had a dampening effect on all magical senses, so silk was one of the best options. The only reason that I didn't have a gazillion of these kinds of clothes in my Gem was because my Gem didn't store organic materials without dissolving them into ash.

To top it all off, the tracksuit was incredibly cheap, and there were enough of them stacked up to last me several years. I grabbed an armload and headed to the counter. The attendant glanced up, slightly surprised at my youthful features and short stature, but put on an air of professionalism. "Will that be all, sir?"

I shrugged. "Yep. Pretty much." A shelf of paddy caps caught my eye, and I grabbed a black one off the rack. "Actually, can I get this?" Even if it was a futile gesture, putting the cap on would at least prevent my electric blue hair from being visible from above. I didn't have my Revere cap anymore, so I needed _something_ to conceal myself from casual observers.

He nodded, ringing up the suits and placing them inside a plastic bag. "That will be seventy-four dollars, please."

I blinked. "E-excuse me?"

"Seventy-four dollars," he repeated. "Seven ninety-nine for each of the eight tracksuits, and nine ninety-nine for the hat."

I frowned. "I know, but… dollars?"

Realization dawned on him as he glanced at my grey skin. "You're a winter spirit, aren't you? And I'd wager to guess that it's been a while since you've been here?"

I nodded. Both were technically true, but not as he probably thought. "My apologies, I'm used to Gold."

He chuckled. "Well, you're in luck, then. If you were a week later, we wouldn't have taken it. But, as it is, Gold is still taken as currency."

I sighed in silent relief. "Thanks, cousin." I reached into my pocket, concentrating on pulling my purse out of my personal Gem. It took some tugging due to all of the things piled on top of it, but it came. I opened the drawstring, and counted out seventy-four small golden coins and handed them to the man. "Here you go."

He took them, pressing several buttons on the cash register before handing me a few coins in return. "Since that kind of currency is no longer valid, our store is offering a service that converts the old currency into the new, at a five percent exchange rate."

I nodded in thanks, hoisting my bag off my shoulders and tucking the tracksuits alongside the various other knickknacks I had picked up over the course of my time away. I followed the man's pointing finger to a desk with an odd "S" with a strike through it, and spent the next five minutes exchanging currency. Then, with my brand-new wallet packed with cash and tucked in the back pocket of my new tracksuit (courtesy of the public bathroom), I left the store.

In order to fully get the feel for this new Naskapi (I wasn't stalling or trying to put off talking to Von and Kuroka, I swear!), I flagged down a taxi and had him take me the scenic route to _The Iron Strike_. Halfway through, a mild Ash storm kicked up, flakes falling like snow against the night sky. Curious, I rolled down the window and let the flakes settle on my hand. No burning whatsoever, just a simple pile of ash settling onto my hand and staining my fingers with their black taint. I wiped my hand on my old clothes, tossing them onto the seat next to me where my backpack rested.

And then, as we hit the residential district, I forgot about the window entirely as I lowered my tinted lenses in order to better see. What had once been a grungy neighborhood of tall buildings and shitty people, was now a well-lit area with bright, clean apartment complexes and a few grand hotels. I drank in the sight, my eyes spinning slightly as the Eyes of Deep Emotion absorbed any excess feelings.

"We're here." The driver's voice snapped me out of my reverie, and I slipped the Clearsight lenses back on. After paying the man generously, I slipped out of the car and began to walk the short distance to Von's smithy.

My nerves came back in full force as the door to _The Iron Strike_ came into view. What if he refused to speak to me? What if he thought I was a monster? What if—

I felt my thoughts blow away like a cool winter wind as the Curse activated.

So what if he hated me? He was only a smith, and I had enough mana to level the city. If worse came to worst, I'd walk away unscathed. And if by some miracle he _did_ manage to penetrate my defenses, my regeneration was good enough to regrow my entire head if need be. I'd be fine.

I took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.

Inside, everything was exactly as I remembered it. The workbench full of half-complete projects, the old couch looking on the verge of collapse, and Von working tirelessly at his anvil. A painting hung on the wall, much to my surprise. Von has never been one for decoration, and he always thought that paintings were a waste of money. Yet there it hung, in defiance of everything I knew about the man. It depicted a vase of flowers in the light of a windowsill. Moon lilies. My favorite.

I was torn from my thoughts as Von shoved his blank blade into the water to cool it with a sharp _hiss_. He turned to look at me, irritation written over his features. "Oi, I'm workin' here! Either close the door or… go… away…" He trailed off as he noticed my blue hair and familiar lenses, red eyes spinning beneath them. "D-Dee?" He dropped his hammer in shock.

I chuckled, letting the door swing shut behind me and pulling off my Clearsight lenses to reveal my spinning irises. "Greetings, cousin."

He was in front of me in less than an instant, inspecting every inch of my emaciated form. "What the hell happened to you?" he exclaimed, seeing my grey skin and thin frame. "Last time I heard from you, you were going on a trip to the mines with Carn! Then you don't come back for a year, and we think you died in a cave-in! What the hell happened?"

I smiled uncomfortably. "There _was_ a cave-in," I answered tightly. "I just got back up again after Carn couldn't."

I scanned him with God's Eye to calm my nerves as my stomach fluttered.

 **(The Smith of Ages)  
[Creidhne ail Von]  
{Race: Human}  
[Lv. —]  
{Status: Conceptually Immortal}**

…Okay. One, I could see why he went by Von. Two, _what the fuck_?

Von sighed, taking a step back and eyeing me. "It sounds like you have quite the story to tell."

"I do, actually," I said wryly.

"Then let's take a seat. The forge can wait."

Von listened patiently as I explained my entire story, even as I stumbled over my words and rushed parts of it. As I reached the end, the only thing he had to say was, "So you created your own weapons?"

I began to laugh, shoulders shaking, as my worries dissolved. Of course it would be all about the weapons with Von. "Y-Yes," I managed, pulling out my Gem. "What do you want to see?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I want to see every. Goddamn. Weapon. You. Have."

This time, I couldn't stop the laughter from pouring out.

* * *

I woke the next morning to the strangely familiar feeling of Von's old couch. I just laid there for a while, staring at the cracked ceiling and using my Sight to explore the city's nightlife. While the city had opened a tourism industry and prettied up a bit, it was still the same scum hole I had grown up in. The Ash was still a threat, but it would seem that the citizens had somehow found a way around it. Aside from that, I had noticed one vital thing that had evaded me the night before.

No one in this city had a level higher than forty.

I glanced at my own level of over four hundred, sighing. On one hand, it meant I could relax. On the other, it meant that no one here would be a decent fight if I ever got bored.

…All right, so maybe I started enjoying the feeling of fighting once I got a feel for it. So sue me. My entire species was apparently built off the concept of becoming an apex predator. Hell, if the prerequisites weren't so harsh and the drawbacks so fierce, every human with a brain would be trying their damnedest to become a Wendigo, if only for the enormous potential the species had.

"You should tell her." Von's voice cut into my thoughts, jerking me from my self-induced trance.

I frowned. "Kuroka?"

"Yeah." I heard Von rustling around in the kitchen, probably fixing breakfast for himself. Of course, since the both of us had slept through the day, it was more like dinner, but whatever.

I sighed. "She's in the castle right now, and whenever I try to talk to her she immediately throws a ball of hellfire at me."

"…Ouch," Von muttered, though I probably wasn't meant to hear it. Then, louder, "She's not exactly in the best shape, these days. She used to visit me more often, but now she's lucky to get out for an hour a month with how hard that bastard is driving her. I'm afraid she'll do something drastic if she can't figure something out."

I rolled my eyes. "And what am I supposed to do about it? Eat his corpse?"

There was a moment of silence. "It wasn't your fault, Dee," Von rumbled, voice uncharacteristically soft. "You did what you had to so you could survive."

I laughed, sitting up and joining him at the workbench. "I know that, I stopped feeling guilty over it at the same time I stopped needing to sleep. But pardon me if I'm a bit leery about getting hellfire shot at me."

Von chuckled. "From what I hear, you could probably tank it with no problem."

I shook my head, taking a piece of bacon from the platter. "Senjutsu is… different. It's like having the planet itself back the attack. There's a reason that it's one of the few things gods fear." I chewed the strip of greasy meat, internally comparing it to the taste of Devil jerky. "Plus, because of Senjutsu's magic cancellation properties, it shatters my hold on the Path even if I can easily survive the hit."

We ate in silence, and I enjoyed the wonderful meal known as bacon for the first time in a year. It was glorious.

Finally, Von sighed and pushed the plate aside. "Fine, I won't push." He wiped his hands on a cloth, tossing it aside to be washed. "But don't think you'll be sitting on your ass all day, either. You're still my apprentice, you just took a year off. So why don't we find out how much you improved during your vacation?"

I activated God's Eyes, scanning the spidery text with amusement.

— _Smithing {Phantasmal} Lv95_

"You're on, old man."

The old smith burst into laughter.

It was good to be back.

* * *

 **IMPORTANT!**

 **Due to FFnet's format stripping, the last chapter was horrendously askew. Please forgive my sloppiness, I have corrected my oversight. Without the formatting, the game mechanics are much more confusing. I try to keep things uniform, but FF seems determined to screw with that. Please alert me if you see an inconsistency, so I can fix it ASAP.**

 **My thanks!**

 **A/N:**

 **All right, we have a stunning 68% of voters saying 'harem', so I'm going to say it's harem. No epic ten-person extravaganza, just three or four decent girls.**

 **...If you've ever read UtV, you'd know that most 'decent girls' turn out to be somewhat insane. So… yeah. Have fun with the yandere harem over there. Not sure how crazy these ones will be getting, but let's just say that if Dee and Millicas ever met, their harems would probably m̶u̶r̶d̶e̶r̶ brutally eviscerate each other.**

 **I'm having waaay too much fun planning this stuff out.**

 **Thank you all for your help with edits!**

 _ **B/N: I have to say, I'm disappointed in ya'll who voted harem. Like, c'mon, we got that Kuroka best girl and all and ya'll gotta ruin it? :c On the other hand, we get Valiant, who is just absolutely adorable so I forgive you.**_

 _ **On a side-note, to those people who pointed out mistakes in the last chapter, I challenge you to a D-D-D-D-Duel! to find mistakes in this chapter. Knowing my idiocy, there's gonna be like 500 in this one.**_

* * *

 **REVIEWS:**

 **SantoryuSekai:**

 **Chronos was heavily weakeness when they fought, and Dee developed an immunity to Time Control over the course of several painful deaths. Plus there was that last-minute death blow that came out of nowhere, using stolen power he didn't know how to use.**

 **Without any of those factors, Dee would've been very dead.**

 **Lezaroth:**

 **Ah, Lezaroth, my fellow gentleman! I hope this finds you well.**

 **Yes, it ended up being a harem, but you know how my harems usually involve yanderes of some kind, so I'm sure you'll be happy.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Guest (curiosity):**

 **You shall see...**

 **chessru:**

 **No one expects the Spanisb Inquisition!**


	8. I'm Friends with the Monster

**Chapter 7: I'm Friends With The Monster Inside of My Head**

* * *

"Let's talk a bit about your Ascension, shall we?"

The question was short and to the point, much like Von himself. I sighed, pulling my personal Gem out of my pocket and shoving an unfinished dagger inside. "A bit out of nowhere, don't you think?"

He shrugged, lowering his hammer and glancing over at me. "It needs discussion, and now's a good a time as any."

I eyed him. He knew something he didn't want to share quite yet. "Sure. What do you need to know?"

"You said something about a prerequisite?" he asked.

I frowned, thinking back. "Yeah, it said something about a soul check. My soul had a value of over five thousand, and I needed a minimum of three thousand to Devour Samael and four and a half thousand to Devour Chronos." ' _And dear God, I am NOT mentioning Valiant. Von would never let me forget it.'_

He nodded. "Good. I suspect it was rating the size of your soul. By that scale, a lesser god would have about a ten thousand."

I blinked. " _What_?"

He waved me off. "Lesser gods have ten thousand, greater gods have closer to a hundred thousand. I'll explain more in a moment. Now, you said you got a trait for getting pain tolerance to a certain level?"

I grimaced. "Yeah, Pure Soul or something. It hurt like hell to get, but it cut down the pain of absorbing Chronos significantly. Why?"

"I think that since Devouring a higher being affects more than just your body, the pain tolerance skill represented your soul's ability to resist outside forces. When you power-levelled it to Pure Soul, it probably doubled or tripled your soul's purity and density without altering its' size, allowing even someone with a human form to safely hold it." he replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "But we have no real way to test that. From what I understand, this power of yours simply tells you your power level, yes?"

I shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah. It also lets me see others' legends and general power levels, as well as my skill levels with various abilities. Doesn't explain anything worth a damn, though. It occasionally throws me a bone, but I'm on my own for the most part."

He nodded. "Good. Now, you said that your power adapts when exposed to new abilities, yes?"

I made a so-so motion with my hand. "Depends on the ability. Why?"

"Because Chronos only held his seat of power for as long as he did due to his ability to sniff out traitors like nothing else. Once Zeus figured out that he used retrocognition to do it, though, he went into deep cover for over ten years so Chronos wouldn't see anything suspicious. If you can figure out Chronos's retrocognition…"

"…I could scry people's past," I finished, eyes widening in realization. Then I frowned. "Wait, how would I even know that God's Eyes would even accept retrocognition?"

He chuckled. "I have a theory about that, actually. See, your ability only explained something when you gained an ability that should've been instinctual. Campione who slay gods to get their power are like that, so I don't see how you aren't." He tapped his temple. "But since your eyes were wired into your instincts, and they were conditioned to display things in numbers and letters…"

"…It just displayed the instinctual knowledge as text. That's amazing." I grinned. "Especially since Curse of the Wendigo probably wouldn't let me use any instinctual knowledge regardless. So the knowledge bounced off my mind, had to find somewhere to display itself, and used my Eyes. And since retrocognition will probably work mostly the same due to Father Time, it might work twice. Brilliant!"

He shrugged. "I have my moments." Then, glancing at the old clock above the door, he cursed. "Dammit. I'm late. Sorry, kid." He picked a block of post-it notes off his desk, scribbling something down. "Here's my number. They finally got cell towers in this blasted place, so you can call me if you need me. Just don't call during an Ash storm -reception is shit then. There's a store on Eighth Avenue if you need to buy a phone."

I nodded, activating my Sharingan and glancing at the note before crumpling it and sticking it in my pocket. "All right, got it."

Von ruffled my hair, chuckling. "Nice eyes, kid. Glad to have you back." He turned, and began gathering tools. "Now go have some fun."

I turned and slipped out the door.

On my way to the store, I used my Sight to examine all the models of phones they had. My magic occasionally made electronics go haywire, but they had several phones designed with that specifically in mind. I eventually settled on an older model of the Pear iPhone, not caring overly much about features so long as it worked properly.

After buying my phone and setting up a plan, I went on my way. I continued to cheat using my Sight, buying some ice cream in a waffle cone while making my way to the park to eat it. There wouldn't be an Ash storm for another two hours, so I felt reasonably safe. And even if I was wrong, the worst it would do was melt my clothes.

As I finished the last of my ice cream while examining a new fountain in the center of the park, a single Path caught my attention. Old memories stirred, and I felt my hands clench into fists.

' _I remember that face. I'll always remember that face.'_

I turned, muting my sonic boom as I blurred out of sight. I took to the alleys at a breakneck speed, relying on my Sharingan and my Sight to keep me from smashing through a wall. Finally, turning a corner and slipping into a dark building, I found my quarry.

 **(The Black Order Reigns)  
[Randall Sullivan]  
{Race: Obake (Yokai)}  
[Lv. 121]  
{Status: Irritated}**

There he stood, barking orders at his thugs. He looked exactly as I remembered him, freakishly tall and dressed in a pristine suit. Golden teeth flashed as he spoke, face contorting into a grotesque mask of rage as he lashed out at a man foolish enough to incite his rage.

I felt the Curse loosen its hold on my emotions, almost hungrily anticipating the bloodshed that would follow. Angel of Death took its place, black rage filling, my red eyes glowing with malice. Father Time forced me to focus once more, each second dragging by in a small eternity.

' _Level 121, eh? In my previous life, that would've been unreachable even by the most generous of standards. But now?'_

 _Name: Dee  
Title: All Things Have Their Time.  
Race: Wendigo (*)  
Level: 454_

He was nothing but trash, staining the ground in front of me. No, trash was insulting to dumpsters everywhere. Trash could be salvaged. This man was scum, the scum of my city that could only be cleansed by me.

Father Time fully woke, rushing through my veins and staining my skin with a golden glow.

 **Time Pause.**

The world froze. Each individual dust mote in the air became trapped, stuck in the same moment for as long as I held the spell. Time Pause, now level twenty, cost only about 2500 MP to use. With my current pool, I could sustain it for around two hundred and fifteen minutes, or about three and a half hours. If you factored in how fast I generated mana, I could literally keep this up twenty-four seven for the rest of eternity.

…I'm starting to get why gods are so fucking powerful.

I didn't bother with any dramatics. Their throats were slit in a heartbeat. None of the thugs were powerful enough for me to consider Devouring, so I just torched them until they were piles of ash. Funny how constant use of fire magic for forging strengthens your flame.

I turned to Smalls, his face still twisted into his grotesque grin. His throat had been opened by a huge gash, but no blood flowed from the wound. I smirked, pulling out a hunting knife I had made during the time before I met the Pukwudgies. Believe it or not, using a spear to clean and gut your prey is really awkward. There's a reason it's meant to be a mid- to long-ranged weapon.

I quite liked the convenience of being able to skin, gut, bone, and prepare my entire meal without having to worry about blood. A mild application of water magic enabled me to drain the meat almost instantly and cook it with brief bursts of fire magic before Devouring it.

I briefly wondered how it was even possible for me to eat this much at once, before promptly writing it off as one of my unexplained abilities. Maybe Perfect Body or something.

I wiped my hands and mouth of the meat grease with the paper napkin I got from the ice cream shop, turning away from my meal and allowing time to resume. No witnesses, no mess, no problem.

 **[Absorption Consumption has activated!]  
[Soul check: Passed. {4600/50,030}]  
[Randall Sullivan has been fully Devoured, his Legacy added to your own!]**

 **[Legacy: Black Night of Crime has been subsumed. No bonus has been gained.]**

 **[Ashes of Times Past has become a part of your Legend! Due to your moderate compatibility, some functions have been restricted.]  
[Ashes of Times Past: A flame, once bright, has been burnt out by the cruelty of this world. However, reflecting on these ashes has led you to discover what can be gained from one's losses.]**

 **[Due to the effects of 'Ashes of Times Past', a new ability has formed!]  
[Senjutsu {Basic} Lv1]  
[Trait gained: Empathy!]**

 **[You have gained the form: Yokai!]**

Wendigo's Curse snapped back into full effect, clearing away the fog over my mind like the sun on a hot day. I sighed, scrying myself with God's Eyes.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: What Doesn't Kill You Hurts Like Hell  
Race: Wendigo (*)  
Level: 467_

 _Status:  
-Curse of the Wendigo (PERMANENT) (Negates all mental inhibitions and influences, both positive and negative)  
-Wendigo's Freezing Chill (PERMANENT)_

 _Talent Values:_

 _MP: 454,590/454,590 [45,459,000/45,459,000]  
Physical Attack: 16,790  
Physical Defense: 12,980  
Magical Attack: 21,940  
Magical Resistance: 25,750  
Agility: 29,943_

 _Total Value: 61,542_

I was mildly surprised to see my Title back to the way it was, but I didn't pay it too much attention. My magical values hadn't increased by much, but my physical values had gained over five thousand each. Still nothing compared to my Agility, though.

Agility is bullshit.

I smacked my lips, feeling comfortably full as I left the abandoned warehouse behind. If there were always scum like this, I could eat comfortably for the rest of my life.

I slowly made my way back to Von's smithy, visiting a few random shops that piqued my interest. My Sight told me that Von would be a while, so I didn't bother rushing. In a moment of impulsiveness, I bought a whole slew of tools and ingredients to go with my Cooking ability. I also browsed through a book called '1001 Ways to Prepare Meat', memorizing its contents with my Sharingan for future use. Plain meat gets really bland after a while, so having something to switch it up was a welcome change.

Carrying my bag full of assorted spices and ingredients, my tools safely stored in my Gem, I finally turned into the alley that led to _The Iron Strike_. The bell on the door jingled merrily as I entered, and I set my bag on the workbench beside me. "Hey, Von," I said amiably, as the man glanced up from sharpening a pickaxe. "You had something to tell me, right?"

He chuckled, setting aside his tools. "I'd almost forgotten you could do that." He leaned over, tugging a book from his travel bag. "I called in a few favors, scored you this little beauty."

I stepped forward and received the book, brushing off a fine coating of dust. ' _The Aspects of Gods'_ , the title read. I blinked. "Aspects?"

Von nodded. "I had a thought. _You_ are bound by the Curse of the Wendigo, but since you're technically a god now, there can be more than one version of you. You can make a kind of… drainage ditch for your suppressed emotions, forming them into a corporeal form. And if you mix in your instincts, you might be able to figure out how to use your less accessible powers."

I stared at him in utter surprise. "I can do that?"

He pointed to the book in my hands. "If it's possible, that'll tell you how to do it."

I grinned. Time to hit the books.

* * *

An hour later, I in the lotus position, sitting legs crossed and arms resting on my knees, and closing my eyes in concentration. Turning my focus inward, I concentrated on what made me _me_. Flaws, mistakes, emotions, logic, and reason. I began sorting them, between the intense emotions of the Before and the suppressed emotions of the After. I found the layer of my mind that represented the Curse, peeling it away and siphoning away the part of my mind it affected. Then, gritting my teeth, I held each in a vice grip and shoved the two parts apart with all of my strength.

I'll spare you the graphic depiction of my agony, but needless to say, having one's mind torn in two is hardly the most pleasant thing the world has to offer.

When my headache cleared, I opened my eyes to find myself staring into the yellow eyes of a predator. I didn't scream, but I did punch whatever it was in the gut as hard as I could. Or, at least, I _tried_ to punch it. Whatever it was just dodged the blow almost lazily.

I took a step back, now even with the other creature. And then I paused as I realized exactly what I was looking at.

A ten-year-old boy looked back at me, a wide grin across his skeletal face. His skin was bone white, stretched thin over his frame and making his bones appear to jut from his body at odd angles. He wore a white jumpsuit and paddy cap over his ash-white hair. His irises were pure gold, contrasting against a black sclera.

"Sup, King." The apparition spoke with a disturbing double echo, my voice and the screeching tones of something _else_ mixing to create a dyssynchronous duality.

I deadpanned at him. "You ripped off Bleach, didn't you."

He shrugged. "Maaaybe?"

"And what would I be the king of, anyway?" I asked, amused.

"Girly-boys, of course," he mocked, grinning widely and twirling a strand of his- _our_ long hair and twirling it around his finger. "Even Carn thought you were a girl the first time you met."

I frowned, glancing at my own hair. "It's not that bad, is it?"

He shrugged. "Well, maybe if you got reeally jacked…"

"Tried that already." I sighed. "I can deadlift a skyscraper, but my arms look like twigs. I think it's part of being a Wendigo."

"Well, then I'm afraid you're eternally consigned to looking like a girl." He snickered in amusement.

I grumbled to myself for a moment. "Well, my questionably girly face aside…" I looked him up and down. "Are you my Aspect?"

"That would be me." He stepped back and gave me a dramatic bow. "Why'd you need me?"

"I wanted to know if you had any idea what my powers do," I pressed, starting to get slightly excited.

He burst into psychotic laughter. "EHehehahaha!" He wheezed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Well, I can tell you one thing, Kingy. It's thanks to Angelic Form that you look like a bishie, and Perfect Body that your shape never changes."

I blinked. "…You're shitting me."

"Nope. Angelic Form gives you perfect looks, and Perfect Body lets you ingest all the calories you want without changing your body shape." He shook his head, amused. "If it didn't give you a ridiculous strength modifier and let you eat ten times your body weight at once, I would've scrapped the damn thing."

"So it _is_ thanks to Perfect Body that I can eat as much as I do?"

"Yep. You can eat a shitload of food, and your body just stores it for later. At this point, you could stop eating completely for several months with no drawbacks whatsoever."

"Sweet." I grinned. "Anything else I should know?"

He shrugged. "Eh. Not really. I mean, I'm just your instincts and raw emotion, I'm not the brightest bulb in the box."

I raised an eyebrow. "And you admit that?"

"Hey, I call it how I see it. And I'm as dumb as a box of rocks. Even if you gave me control of the body, I would have no clue how to use any of your fine control magics." A mad grin stretched across his face, cranking the serial killer vibes up to eleven. "That being said, if we fought, I'd kick your ass. You have control of the human half of us, and I have control of the Wendigo. And as badass as you can be, I can just trigger Shapeshift and Fallen Angel your ass. So don't stick me in some corner and forget me, 'kay? I'm gonna be here to stay."

I nodded slowly. "That's fine. As long as you don't try to take over my body, we'll be fine."

He snorted. "Please. What use would I have for your body? I'm your instincts, I have three uses. Eating, fighting, and fucking. You have no problems eating others thanks to your time in Tartarus, you have enough sheer skill that anyone trying to fuck with you will get their ass kicked, and we're too young to get our dick wet. Just don't ignore me, and I'll play nice."

I smiled, holding out a hand. "Well then, it's nice to have you on board."

He laughed, the double echo turning the noise into a terrifying cacophony. "Nice ta meet ya. You can call me… Instinct. Yeah. Keep things simple, names according to function."

I raised an eyebrow, lowering my hand. "So what would my name be?"

He eyed me. "I would say Human, but… you've got some control over the Divine side, and you're highly skill-based, so Human would be insulting and inaccurate. How about Forethought?"

I shrugged. "Either works for me. Just call me whatever, and eventually something will stick."

"Sounds fine to me." He glanced around. "Hey, any idea what your mindscape will end up being?"

I blinked. "Mindscape?"

"Yeah, the place where I— oh, forget it. You don't have the necessary instincts to be a proper god yet." He sighed, glancing around once more. "Ah, well. Gives me something to do. This place is probably fully formed already, since you managed to absorb the soul of a Titan an' all. I just have to organize this shit." He squinted into the darkness. "Hang some lights or something, too. This place is dark as hell."

"We've been in Hell. It's not actually all that dark," I pointed out.

He blinked. "Did you just wise-ass me? You did _not_ just wise-ass me."

I grinned, but ignored him. "If this place _is_ my mindscape, then there are probably lights in here already. You just need to figure out how to turn them on."

"…You're messing with me, aren't you." He deadpanned.

I shrugged. "Might be."

He laughed. "I think we're going to get along just fine."

I glanced around at the darkness surrounding us. "So… how do I get out of here?"

"You just… oh, right, no instincts. Let me help."

I felt my eyes open in the real world, and suddenly I was looking out at Von's cracked wallpaper. I stood, stretching, and tried to rub some feeling back into my legs. I didn't know how long I was sitting, but I was there for a long time.

' _ **Four and a half hours. Well, four hours, thirty-six minutes, and seven seconds if you want to be technical. Aspects take a while to form, and you**_ **did** _**just rip a part of your mind off and give it a different form. Humans call that kind of thing 'Multiple Personality Disorder'.'**_

' _Wait, you're still here?'_

' _ **Hm? Oh, yeah. I'm always here. Hell, your mind goes faster than the real world because of your Thought Acceleration. If I use Memory Partition as well, I can go a separate speed than you do. You've got some really cool shit in here. If I use my Light powers to see, this place is actually pretty cool. Lots of gears, though.'**_

'… _This is going to take some getting used to, isn't it.'_

' _ **Hell if I know. Oh, hey, Von's trying to get your attention.'**_

I snapped back into reality to see Von's ugly mug in front of my face. "Um… hi," I began awkwardly. "It worked, I guess."

He relaxed, stepping back. "Good. For a moment, there, I was afraid I'd have to fight off some half-mad version of you."

' _ **Oh, I like him. He's got balls.'**_

' _Figuratively or literally?'_

' _ **...I dunno what those words mean. Whichever option means that I'm not gay.'**_

' _Fair enough.'_

"You're zoning out again," Von interrupted, snapping me back to reality.

I blinked. "Oh, sorry. My new Aspect is chatty."

He grunted, walking back over to his workbench. "As long as it's not homicidal, I couldn't care less. Did you figure out your powers?"

"…One sec."

' _Tips?'_

' _ **Well, first, use Thought Acceleration so you don't look like a fucking idiot by staring off into space.'**_

I felt slightly embarrassed that I hadn't considered that option, and immediately cranked it up to its top speed of fifty times real life. ' _Better?'_

' _ **Much. Now, what do ya want to know?'**_

' _Just… give me a run-down of what I have.'_

' _ **Got it. So, you've got your human magic, which is basically just a one-trick pony. Then you've got your Wendigo powers, which basically let you Kirby whatever you shove down your gullet. Powers, souls, memories, forms, magic, whatever it's got, you get to add to your repertoire. Right now that consists of a Devil, a Fallen Angel, a Titan, and a Yokai. Then you've got your Divine powers, which are basically what is says on the tin. Got it?'**_

I sighed. ' _What_ specifically _does each one do?'_

' _ **Human powers are Divination, the Dreamer magic system, and the Sharingan. Wendigo powers are mimicry, regeneration, weather control, and curses. Everything else is either Divine or something you picked up from eating somebody.'**_

'… _Thank you, that was_ extremely _helpful.'_ I griped.

' _ **Oi, fuck you! I don't know any more than you do! If you want more information, use your God's Eyes!'**_

' _And how the hell do I do that?'_

' _ **Just… just… just… I don't know!'**_

'…'

'…'

'… _You wouldn't happen to have any idea what Larceny does, do you?'_

' _ **Oh, that? Sure. It's basically a whatever-you-want ability. You see the shiny necklace, you take the shiny necklace. You see the shiny ability, you take the shiny ability. Since it's already at Phantasmal level, nobody under say… level ten thousand… will be able to notice you.'**_

' _Ten thousand!? Who the fuck would be at that level?'_

' _ **Oh, most Ultimate-class are about that. The higher-tier ones are fifty thousand, easy. And don't even get me started on Super Devils…'**_

' _How would you even know this?'_

' _ **I found Samael's memories. He can still see what's going on in the rest of the world, to an extent. He saw God die, at the very least.'**_

' _God is dead?'_

' _ **Yep.'**_

' _Huh. That's a thing.'_

' _ **Sure makes you glad we're atheists, eh?'**_

' _Eh, whatever.'_ There was a pause as I tried to remember what I had been doing. '… _Anyway, how do I actually_ use _Larceny?'_

' _ **Oh, that's easy. Just put your hand on them and concentrate on stealing whatever it is you want. If it works, you should feel a kind of… catch, and then you just pull. I can't really explain it better than that.'**_

' _Well, thanks for trying. I guess I'll have to try it out later. Keep cool, brother.'_

' _ **Oh, wait! One more thing. You got this really messed-up ability called Twisted Charisma from that asshole you shanked.'**_

' _Which one?'_

' _ **I… don't actually know. Anyway, it's basically charisma for the really fucked up people. It's always kind of**_ **there** _ **, but if you activate it, it'll mix with your natural charm and Angelic features to make for one hell of a presence slap.'**_

'… _Your point?'_

' _ **Don't use it. As fun as having God-level charisma sounds, this one isn't. You know that one really fucked up dream everybody has at one point in their life, that they try to forget because of how fucked up it is? But they still can't forget it, because it's something they've actually wanted their whole life and just never had the balls to do anything about it?'**_

' _You seem to use that phrase a lot.'_

' _ **Shut up, mister 'for instance'. Anyway, it drags those kinds of things to the front of their mind, and just keeps them there until they start realizing that it might not be so bad to do it. And since they're feeling all brave and shit because of your charisma, they now have the balls to stop hiding their desires.'**_

'… _?'_

' _ **Oh, for the love of… look. If someone's always wanted to have sex with this one chick, and they're around your charisma for long enough, they'll start planning to rape the chick. And if that chick is within the range of your charisma when she gets raped, she might decide she likes it.'**_

'… _Oh.'_

' _ **Oh is right. You literally manufacture psychopaths just by standing around.'**_

' _So how do I restrain it?'_

' _ **Hide in a cave for the rest of your life. Otherwise, you're stuck.'**_

' _Fuck.'_

' _ **Pretty much.'**_

'…'

'…'

'… _I'm going to go, now.'_

Time resumed as I let go of Thought Acceleration. "Got it. Apparently, I've got the minds and memories of the people I ate. My Aspect is sorting through them right now."

Von nodded, picking up what looked to be the bent axle of a minecart. "Good. Now if anyone knocks your ass out, he can step in."

I blinked. "I… hadn't considered that. I've never really had to worry about being captured."

He chuckled, heating the bent bar inside his forge. "Well, now you won't have to."

There was a comfortable silence as we ran out of things to say. My eyes swept the room, landing the large pile of broken junk on his workbench. "Need some help?"

He laughed, full-bellied and deep. "Boy, I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

The next few weeks passed in a blur, with me generally just relaxing and unwinding from the stress of my hard-fought battles. I helped Von with his workload, wandered around the city, ate random stuff, killed some scum, and read as many medical texts as I could memorize. Of course, Von being Von…

"You need to talk to Kuroka."

…kept insisting that I stop procrastinating my biggest problem.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "It's not that simple."

' _ **Sure it is. You walk up, say hi, waggle your eyebrows at her, and she'll fall all over you. Then she'll show you the Book, which will have inevitably evolved into a Grimoire, which will also inevitably have taken the form of a loli.'**_

' _Shut up, Instinct. Life isn't some anime. Stop treating it like it is.'_

' _ **I'm telling you, I have future sight! Mystical powers of precognition that vary from your own! It will come to pass, I swear it!'**_

I closed my eyes, shutting out Instinct. He has a habit of making up bullshit whenever he's bored. Which is often.

' _ **Hey, it's boring up here! I've already watched all the anime, and I suck at minesweeper.'**_

' _Oh, sure. Well maybe if you—wait, I have minesweeper?'_

' _ **Oh, yeah. No other games, though. I mean, other than Tetris.'**_

…Ignoring him, then. "I'm telling you, Von. If I try to ask the people at the castle I'm looking for her, they won't even talk to me until I tell them my name. And then they do their damnedest to kill me."

He snorted, brushing off his plate and setting it aside. "And I'm calling bullshit on that. Look, kid. I've seen you do some frankly impossible things when you're motivated, not the least of which is killing and eating a Primordial Titan."

"He was severely weakened, and I cheated," I protested, though it felt like fighting a losing battle.

"Boy, you cheat at everything you do." He gestured to the forge. "Hell, your eyes make any craft learnable within an hour. What I'm saying is, you're avoiding talking to her. If you were really determined, then you would've found a way to get in that castle. You'd melt through a wall, or abuse your Sight to find a hole in their guard."

' _ **Or use Time Pause to just waltz in there. It's not that hard.'**_

I sighed. "All right, fine. So I haven't been trying my hardest. I get it. I'll tell her. Just… give me some time."

Von grunted. "Instinct? You got that?"

' _ **Yep. If this dipshit doesn't talk to her within a week, I'll knock his ass out and do it myself.'**_

"He says yes. He's giving me a week before he gives up and does it himself," I translated.

Von smiled. "I knew I liked that guy."

I grumbled as my Aspect began laughing maniacally. "I'm going out. Need anything?"

He shrugged, glancing over his nearly empty workbench. "I could do with some Chinese food."

I nodded. "Will do."

I headed out the door, bursting into motion as soon as it shut behind me. I flitted through the crowds at full speed, not even touching a single person as I ducked and wove. I reached the information marketplace within a minute and breezed inside a familiar door. I stopped just inside the threshold, slipping on my Clearsight lenses. One of the guards noticed me, scowling, and turned to the other. "I'll be right back."

'… _ **I still can't believe you convinced that guy that you're a Vampire.'**_ Instinct grumbled. ' _ **He can read minds, for God's sake.'**_

' _It was easier than explaining where I've been for the past year. Or where Carn is. Plus, he can only read minds he can understand. My Curse stops him from getting inside my head, and even if it didn't, I have Thought Acceleration going the whole time.'_

"All right, boss says you can come in," the guard grumbled, stepping back into the room.

I smiled at him, causing him to edge away. ' _And really, can you not call that reaction hilarious?'_

' _ **Pffft. Look at him, he looks like he's about to piss himself.'**_

I slipped by the terrified guards, down the long hallways, and into the office of an old friend.

"You're early today," a smooth voice commented, eyes hidden behind sunglasses.

I shrugged. "What can I say? I've got nothing better to do."

'…'

' _Don't you say a word.'_

' _ **Saying nothing.'**_

Shark laughed, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. "Well have a seat, then. We have work to do."

I sat, watching as he pulled a file out of his desk. He opened it, spreading its contents over the immaculate surface in front of him. "I've got two genuine monsters here, just for you. The first," He held up a sheet of paper with a photo of a brown-haired man in the top right. "is Eron Bojack. Snake Yokai of unknown species, as well as a serial rapist. We only managed to identify him because of his fondness for… shall we say… unusual victims, combined with his preferred method of murder being venom."

I took the file, squinting at the blurry text and subtly activating my Sharingan. I had on my Clearsight lenses, and even if I never used them for their intended purpose, they were still very good at hiding my eyes. "I see. And the other?"

He handed me another page. "Wan Kojima. Runs an underground trafficking ring."

I raised an eyebrow, my attention focused on the page. "What does he smuggle?"

"Everything. Drugs, contraband, weapons, artifacts, slaves, you name it, he's done it at least once. He has a huge organization, operating under the cover of a legitimate business." He smiled, sharp teeth showing. "Problem is, he's a moron. His main building houses all of his operations, meaning that he's incredibly easy to track. He has no reserve forces, backup accounts, safe houses, or even decent defenses. He's effectively a sitting duck with one hell of a nest egg."

I handed him back the papers. "How much?"

"Five grand. But if you're the one taking the job, I'll give it to you for free."

I blinked, shocked. Shark never did _anything_ for free. "Excuse me?"

He chuckled. "Don't play dumb, kid. Every job you take, you watch the target for up to a day before doing anything about them. Every job you reject is eventually either proven to be innocent or a plant. You never leave a single trace, and there's not a security system on the planet that can track you once you start moving. Hell, just from the bounties alone on these fuckers, you've paid for any information you might need for the next decade."

He lowered his sunglasses, looking me in the eye, his expression now completely serious. "Dee, even if you were the most corrupt bastard to walk the earth, you could buy out the industry when it comes to bounty hunting. But half the time, you flat-out reject the money because you think you're doing the world a favor by offing the targets."

I took a moment to process this. Really, even if everything he said was true, it was more for selfish reasons than anything else. I finally cracked Retrocognition with Instinct's help, adding an 'observe' function to my God's Eyes. I just used my downtime to weed through society's scum while power-levelling Retrocognition and gathering random skills. The only reason I even bothered watching the people was to see what skills they had and copying them with my Sharingan. And the bounty? A drop in the bucket compared to the millions I could make by selling a single piece of my Phantasmal-class weaponry.

Of course, I couldn't tell _him_ that.

"Thank you, sir," I finally said, rising to my feet and holding out my hand. He shook it firmly, a small smile on his face. "I'll be done within a day."

He chuckled, waving me off. "Go on, do your job. I'll see you soon."

I gave a slight half-bow, then left the building.

…

The first target, the rapist, was an easy mark. Hell, when I found him, he was in the middle of cornering a young boy in a dark alley. It took me less than a second to notice the situation, activate Time Pause, and slice the fucker's head off. After I had finished Devouring him, Instinct spoke up.

' _ **PING!'**_ he chirped cheerfully. ' _ **Cooking just gained a level!'**_

' _Shut UP, Instinct,'_ I grumbled, accepting the rewards for killing him. ' _You're not a goddamn game screen.'_

' _ **Nah, I'm just bored enough to check your stats after every kill. You also gained a level, by the way. Title still hasn't changed, though. Ooh, you got a new Legacy!'**_

I ignored him, moving to my next job. I was really hoping he was innocent.

…

Nope. Guilty. It took me ten minutes to find the place where he hid the illegal shit, and fifty more to kill every guilty person in the building while freeing the innocent ones. I burnt the small fry, but gathered up the ones above level one hundred. Wan, the fat slob, was less than level thirty, and was promptly incinerated.

' _ **Ping! You have gained a—'**_

' _OH. MY. GOD. Stop making that goddamn PINGING NOISE! I don't care if you tell me what stats raised, but you don't have to be an asshole about it.'_

' _ **I do, actually. It brings warmth to my cold, dead heart.'**_

'… _What would it take me to get you to stop making that ping noise?'_

' _ **Ice cream. Chocolate ice cream. If you eat an entire tub of chocolate ice cream, I'll stop pinging.'**_

I sighed, waving aside the text that informed me of all the Legends I had just subsumed and beginning the short run back to Shark's place. ' _Fine. Whatever.'_

' _ **Yaay! Ice cream!'**_

' _You do know that regular food just goes right through, right? We have to eat meat in order to survive.'_

' _ **So? We can still eat other foods, they just get shat out. No problems.'**_

I pushed open the glass door, stopping and waiting once more. ' _I know, it's just… kind of a waste, don't you think?'_

' _ **It still tastes just fine, and people don't eat ice cream for the nutritional value.'**_

'… _Fair point.'_

"Go on in," the guard called, standing aside.

I walked by, entering the long hall and breaking into a dash.

And that's when everything went wrong.

I felt myself trip and crash into the wall as my Sight _shifted_ , every possible future changing in some way. I got up, brushing myself off and ignoring the dent in the wall as I tried to figure out what had just changed. Someone had just made a decision, an incredibly important one. Now I just needed to see what it was.

I let Instinct take over my body and begin walking me to Shark's office as I frantically flipped through futures. I picked a fairly safe Path, cranked up Thought Acceleration, then walked in.

In the Path, I turned and walked out of the building, making my way to the local gossip café. I sat down, letting my senses expand, and waited. Ten minutes of mostly inane chatter passed, then someone burst into the café. "The lord has ordered the immediate execution of all the Nekoshou in Naskapi!" he shouted, pantinging with exertion. "H-he is offering the honorary title of Noble to whoever slays the most Nekoshou and brings him their heads!"

I froze in horror as the entire café burst into action. Greedy power-grubbers that they were, they didn't even hesitate before grabbing their weapons and charging out the door. I swallowed the last of my tea, and ended the Path.

Instinct immediately noticed me returning to the present and let me take over the body once more. I was just in time to step into Shark's office, even if I stumbled slightly on my way in due to the gap between Instinct leaving and me taking over. We haven't quite gotten that part down, yet.

I didn't waste any time, striding with purpose over to Shark's desk and thrusting out a hand. "No time to explain. Take my hand."

Shark did so without question, and I activated Time Pause.

Shark blinked in shock, probably noticing all the minds within range that suddenly stopped dead. "What did you just do?"

"Ability of mine, got it after eating Chronos. Extremely mana-intensive, and it doubles the cost per person able to move around," I explained casually. "But never mind that, we have bigger problems. Lord Vassago just ordered all the Nekoshou in Naskapi killed."

Shark froze. "…You're shitting me."

"I shit you not," I replied grimly. "Vassago's offering an honorary Noble title to whoever kills the most. It's like some demented game to him, or something."

Shark sat down heavily. "But the treaty with Kyoto…"

"Null and void," I agreed. "If this pulls through, our asses are going to fry."

"Fuck." He breathed heavily, holding his head in his hands. He stayed that way for a few seconds, before straightening up. "All right, how many people can you move with that ability of yours?"

I snorted. "This thing is meant for one person, and even two is stretching it. When I said it doubles cost per person, I mean that one person is 2500 per second, the second is an additional 5000, the third 10,000 and so forth. I'm good, but even I have limits. Find another option."

He rubbed his temples. "Damn. It would be better if I had a Nekoshou in my employ that can direct them. If I just start telling them that they'll be safe with me, no one would believe me."

I nodded, the beginnings of a plan forming in my mind as my Sight branched outwards. "Shark, do you have any contracts with Kyoto? Any at all?"

He frowned, but nodded. "I have a standing agreement to let one of my safehouses be used as a haven in the case of an emergency. That's why I'm so annoyed. Even if my men are good, they can't face the entire population of Naskapi."

I thanked the gods that luck was with me for once. Now, for the other part of my plan. ' _Instinct?'_

There was a pause, before I heard the now familiar voice of my Aspect. ' _ **Whatcha need?'**_

' _Oh, good. Now. Do we have any Nekoshou forms?'_

' _ **Ah… yes, but since we subsumed their Legend, you just grow cat ears and a tail rather than shapeshifting into them. Why?'**_

' _Bear with me. If we ate an Ultimate-Class Devil, could we turn into them?'_

'… _ **I don't like where this is going.'**_

' _Answer me!'_

' _ **Yes! You know that Ultimate-Class Devils are over ten times your level, so why bother asking?'**_

' _Good. Now, if I used my charisma briefly, only for a few minutes or so, would people start going insane?'_

' _ **No, it would take a lot more time before that kind of thing—'**_

' _And a High-Class?'_

' _ **Well yes, but—'**_

' _Okay good, bye.'_

I looked back up at Shark. "I've got a plan."

He nodded slowly. "…Go on."

"All right, so first thing you need to know is that I'm not a Vampire, I'm a Wendigo. We eat people, they drink people. We're arguably more powerful, but most of my kind are mindless beasts. Now. I ate a Nekoshou before, that one arsonist five days ago, so I can take on their form. That will help with crowd control. Then I hand off to you, and you use your authority to take it from there. You with me so far?"

He nodded, seemingly biting down on his questions. I continued. "Good. So, while you're holding off the rabid dogs, I go to the castle using Time Pause and kill Vassago." I held up a hand, forestalling any remarks. "Once I kill him, I'll eat him and take his form. I'll cancel 'my' order, then disappear. In the resulting confusion, we should have enough time to escape to Kyoto using a long-range teleport spell. I don't know any of those kinds of spells, but chances are someone will. It's simple, efficient, and quick to execute. Any thoughts?"

He stared at me for a few seconds, silence penetrating the air. Then, a wide grin crossed his face, and he barked out a laugh. "Boy, you have the one of the brassiest pairs I've seen in my life. And damn it, your plan is just desperate enough to work. You sure you can do what you need to?"

"Positive."

He nodded. "All right, then. I have a Mage on hand that Kyoto lent me, trained to pull over a thousand men across a city for just this sort of occasion. You hold up your part, cause some serious chaos, then come back. With any luck, word hasn't reached the Suburbs just yet, and we can get people together without any problems."

"All right. Just you, me, and your Mage then. No one else. Is your Mage nearby?"

"She's behind the concealed door right there." He pointed to a section of the wall. "In case I ever have to make a quick escape."

"Open it, I'll bring her into Time Pause as well," I ordered, Galvanism allowing me to instantly pull the necessary mana from my Core.

He obeyed without hesitation, walking over and pressing his hand against the wall. A small amount of mana drained from me as he touched it, drawing it under my Ability. Then, the wall dissolved, revealing a bored-looking teenager with brown raccoon ears. A Tanuki. I walked forward, placing a hand on her and forcing mana into her. It's always harder to add someone after Time Pause is active, and this was no exception. Beads of sweat formed on my brow as I tried to force my Ability to work as I wanted. A moment later I succeeded, and the girl blinked in surprise. "W-wha—"

"No time, take us to the Nekoshou Suburbs," Shark demanded, deadly serious.

The girl flinched, but did as she was told. A magic circle formed beneath us, and the world warped as we shifted locations. The transition was surprisingly seamless, but I didn't pay much attention to that as I began scanning our surroundings.

…We were too late. People had already arrived, and most of the houses were burning brightly. We were on top of a high-rise, granting me a perfect view of Kuroka's house near the edge of town.

Kuroka's house, which had burnt to the ground.

My heart sank, but I forced myself back to the task at hand. I reached into my pocket, pulling out my Gem Artifact and reaching inside. I pulled out my black bow and two arrows. The arrows were pitch-black weapons with a few small edges coiling around the thin core, spiraling around it and somewhat curving outward. The Demonic Sword Hrunting, modified as an arrow. Once fired, it turns into a magical bullet enveloped in a red light that reached speeds of Mach 10 on the most direct path to its target, and it would continue to pursue the target, even if parried, repulsed, or avoided, for as long as the shooter kept aiming at them. Of course, as a Diviner, I could literally just map out every target at once with a mixture of my Clairvoyance and Sight.

I released Time Pause, took aim, and fired.

It was a red streak in the night, a blip so fast it could barely be seen if not for the shockwave that followed it. It was almost as if time had slowed down while looking at the fiery red dart; a hazy shadow manifesting from the magical energy exuding from the projectile and taking form.

Fur rising malevolently, and slanted red pupils narrowed, a sleek black hound seemed to rise up from an abyss. Snarling and drooling, gobs of silvery saliva dribbled down from its opened maw that was poised for attack.

An enormous gale force shook the people of the ground below as the **Hound of the Red Plains** began tearing through its prey. I tracked it, effortlessly directing it to each individual target as it decimated each victim. Ten, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, more. No matter how fast or slow, thick or thin, old or young, the Hound took them all without fail.

Within seconds, every person that my Sight had told me was an attacker was dead.

There was a shocked silence as the red light zipped up to a spot several dozen meters above where we stood atop the roof.

' _Instinct, NOW!'_

' _ **On it.'**_

The Broken Phantasm exploded in a huge mass of red energy, drawing attention to us. Just in time, I felt an incredible itch as two pieces of skin on top of my skull heightened. My hearing became incredibly sharp, and I felt an odd sense of unbalance as twin tails grew in at the base of my spine. My tracksuit easily allowed for the tails to poke out over its waistband, my jacket long enough to cover the spot where my pants now drooped low enough to show my undies. I cleared my throat, and I felt an incredible force ripple out from me in an almost visible wave. As a last-minute consideration, I used a spell to make my voice loud enough to be heard.

"Attention, fellow Nekoshou!" I shouted, my voice echoing across the Suburbs. Instantly, all eyes were trained firmly on me. "Even if the lord of this city is corrupt and cruel, not all of us are! As a reserve for the last of our endangered populous, Kyoto has always had an emergency evacuation plan! This is Shark, who you may know holds the Kyoto Evacuation Center in one of his secret warehouses. This is a representative of Kyoto, trained in the art of Teleportation. They will take you to safety while I go and try to reason with the City Lord. Please, take anything vital to your survival, then gather to the base of this building."

Instinct released my charisma, and I allowed the spell on my voice to fade. "All yours, Shark."

The man blinked, shaking out of a stupor. "…You're one scary son-of-a-bitch, you know."

I shrugged. "Please. I'm just a guy with really shitty luck. If I weren't powerful, I'd be dead."

He chuckled. "Well, good job anyway." His mirth drained away, and he looked down at my childlike body. "…Are you sure you're up to this, kid?"

I nodded confidently, activating my Mangekyō behind my tinted lenses. A tugging sensation later, and my save point had changed. "I've got this."

He held out a hand. "Then I wish you luck. And for what it's worth, if one of us doesn't make it out of this alive, I'm glad I met you."

I smiled, returning the handshake. "The feeling is mutual. Be careful, Shark. It'd be a shame to lose one of the few honest men left in this world."

Then I turned, Instinct dropping Shapeshift so as to not make me lose my balance, and began to run. The fall didn't even hurt me, and I immediately broke the sound barrier as I used my Agility to its fullest. I used back alleys, avoiding all other people as I made my way to the castle. Then, activating Time Pause, I used an old spell to push through the wall of the large fortress.

I glanced around the interior of the stone structure, my Sight and Clairvoyance guiding me as I broke into a run. I turned on a dime as I hit a spiral staircase, speeding up the stairs, down a hall, through two doors, and into a small study. There, sitting in a chair, was my quarry.

 **(Find the Madness Within Genius)  
[Jorgen Vassago]  
{Race: High-Class Devil}  
[Lv. 323]  
{Status: Deceased}**

I stopped in my tracks, staring in shock as I realized he was already dead.

'… _ **Dude. How the hell did you not realize this? You can see the fucking future.'**_

' _Shut up, I was in a hurry,'_ I grumbled, dropping Time Pause to save mana as I realized there was no one nearby.

I examined the corpse, noting a disturbingly familiar knife embedded in the man's chest. I walked over, tugging the weapon from his chest and examining it. It was achingly nostalgic, seeing that little knife. Full length eleven inches. Grooved, triple-edged, and sharp enough to cut a thread draped over it. Imbued with enough enchantments to let it survive a rampaging Dragon. A single word was carved into it, flowing script I recognized as my own spelling out the word _Whisper_.

Whisper. The blade I had given Kuroka on our first meeting. The one she never went anywhere without.

…Something was seriously wrong here.

I shook off the blood, setting the knife on the desk. I cleaned, gutted, spiced, and ate the Devil, forcing each piece of meat down my throat as fast as I could. If Vassago was dead, and Kuroka's knife was still here, that meant that she har killed him and fled. If I hurried, I might be able to catch her before she got too far.

' _ **Ping!'**_ Instinct chirped helpfully, the last bite settling in my stomach.

Sure enough, spidery text wrote itself across my vision.

 **[Absorption Consumption has activated!]  
[Soul check: Passed. {29,900/50,030}]  
[Jorgen Vassago has been fully Devoured, his Legacy added to your own!]**

 **[Madness Within Genius has become a part of your Legend!]  
[Due to the effects of 'The Curse of the Wendigo', this Legacy has been negated.] **

**[Genius Within Madness has become a part of your Legend! Due to your moderate compatibility, some functions have been restricted.]  
[Genius Within Madness: Even the craziest of minds has an intellect, and this mind even more so. Having achieved clarity in kerosene, one can now see all things without bias.]**

 **[Due to the effects of 'Genius Within Madness', a new trait has formed!]  
[Mad Perspective, Mad Wisdom LvMAX]**

 **[You have gained the form: Lord Vassago!]**

' _Why the hell did it jump up to over twenty thousand!?'_

' _ **You mean your soul? I'm taking up part of it. It's the price for having an Aspect. Right now we aren't much, but as we develop more, we should start becoming more and more defined. Like God's trinity, you know? At least, I'm pretty sure that's how it'll work.'**_

' _I see.'_ There was a pause. ' _Ah… Instinct? Didn't you say you could connect yourself to God's Eyes?'_

' _ **Hm? Oh, yeah. I forgot. Just give… me… a… sec. All right, there. You got it?'**_

 _ **[Mad Perspective, Mad Wisdom]  
You have a mad intelligence. To all others you are seen as a madman, but there is method in your madness. You solve problems in the most unconventional ways, and are able to bring to life even the wildest of ideas and experiments.  
Passively: Increases the effectiveness of unconventional methods by 40%. Increase the chance of being successful with mad experiments by 60%. Increase all madness fueled skills by 80%.**_

'… _Yep, I got it. How does that even work, anyway?'_

' _ **Oh, God's Eyes interpret all given information in a format of your choice. I just added my 'source of information' to the mix. Handy, eh?'**_

' _Yes. As a matter of fact, it is. WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU DO THAT EARLIER?'_

' _ **Because fuck you, that's why. Oh, and someone's behind you.'**_

I whirled, eyes spinning. I felt something slam into me, and I was staring into a pair of golden eyes.

 **(Who, Then, Will Light This Dark World?)  
[Kuroka]  
{Race: Nekomata (Yokai)}  
[Lv. 225]  
{Status: Terror (Moderate)}**

A blast of pure power hit me full-force, taking me by surprise.

 **[The Curse of the Wendigo has been suppressed by a higher power!]**

"What did you do with Vassago!" a high voice shouted.

I felt my mouth open, answering her against my will. "I ate him."

And then I was being thrown, a flash catching my eye as I pinwheeled. I landed on both feet, just in time to get hit with a full blast of blue flames.

I blinked, watching dispassionately as the blast of Hellfire ripped through my chest. I was fairly used to this kind of reaction by now, to be honest. Several dozen Youkai tried the same thing. But then again, most people would try and kill you if you just confessed to eating their boss.

' _Now,'_ I wondered, Thought Acceleration kicking in. ' _What will I do next?'_

* * *

'… _ **I cannot believe you just wasted all of that time talking to yourself.'**_ Instinct deadpanned. ' _ **I mean, seriously. Just Time Pause and knock her out. She wakes up later with a headache, and you go home fine. Problem solved.'**_

' _I have to at least talk to her. She deserves to know that I'm alive. Besides, even if she does have something that can kill me, I have two shots left before I go blind. We'll be fine.'_

'… _ **At least let me use Charisma.'**_

'… _Fine. But just a little bit. I'd rather not stun her.'_

I looked ahead with my Sight, gritting my teeth. I really didn't want to manipulate her, so I didn't actually look into any particular future, but I still made a mental list of the things that ended each dead Path.

I stepped forward into the cool moonlight allowed by the study window, and smiled softly at the black-haired girl. "Kuroka?" I whispered. "It's me, Dee. Do you remember me?"

Her glowing eyes widened, and her ears twitched. "D-Dee?" she whispered, stepping forward. "I-is it really you?"

I nodded. "Yep. Not quite the same one you knew, but—OOF!"

I didn't dodge the sudden tackle, almost expecting to get stabbed by her reclaimed knife. But instead, I felt her arms wrap around me as she pulled me into a deep kiss.

'…'

'…'

'…'

'… _ **King? Marry this chick. Right now. She's going to be hot in the future.'**_

' _Shut up, Instinct.'_

I glanced at her with God's Eyes, trying to see what had changed.

 **(I Will Follow My Light for All of Eternity.)  
[Kuroka]  
{Race: Nekomata (Yokai)}  
[Lv. 225]  
{Status: Charmed (Severe)}**

'… _Instinct, I'm going to give you one chance. What. did. you. do.'_

' _ **Nothing, I swear! I barely used enough Charisma to make your eyes sparkle!'**_

' _So why the hell is she apparently in love with me?'_

' _ **I don't know!'**_ he griped, exasperated. ' _ **How the hell would I? I can't use Retrocognition!'**_

'… _Oh. Right.'_

I flicked a mental switch, then concentrated on the catgirl once more.

 **(I Will Follow My Light for All of Eternity.)  
[Kuroka]  
{Race: Nekomata (Yokai)}  
[Lv. 225]  
{Status: Charmed (Severe)}**

 **Kuroka, born to Fujimai and Rhondo Niklass, has led a very eventful life. Due to her father not caring for her or her sister, and her mother having to work full-time to compensate, she had very little in the way of parental guidance. She loves her sister greatly, and spoils her often. Because of this, however, she was unable to recognize when her little sister wandered too far away from the house.**

 **After a series of events leading to her collapsed in an alley from exhaustion, she was picked up by a young boy named Dakota. They conversed, and after a short while, Dakota offered her an item of immense value, crafted by his own two hands. Or, in the culture of Yokai, a marriage proposal. Kuroka shyly accepted and began to grow infatuated with the boy. Over the course of the next few months, during which 'Dee' visited her daily, her infatuation grew to truly epic proportions, until she finally admitted to herself that she was in love with him.**

 **However, her father, now an alcoholic, began drinking a hole in her family's already fragile budget. Kuroka, searching for a job, ran into her future )King(. He offered her a deal: in exchange for her becoming his servant, her family would never have to worry again. Against Dee's warnings, she accepted on the condition that she could one day be freed so she could marry her love. Her new )King(, seeing potential in this, agreed.**

 **He took her away into his palace, treating her kindly and trying to endear her to him. When that failed, he began indoctrinating her by 'allowing' her to spend time with her beloved. He slowly began using various tactics to warp her mind, causing her to become increasingly obsessed with 'her' Dee. If all had gone well, she would gradually become more and more loyal to her )King( without even realizing it.**

 **However, after the supposed death of her beloved, the mad King's plan only served to deepen the rift between them. He was forced to resort to greater and greater measures to ensure her cooperation, until his final, vague threat of 'harming what matters most to you' finally caused her to snap.**

 **[Empathy Check: Pass {130/21}]**

 **Kuroka is currently completely besotted with you, and she currently sees you as her future Mate.**

 **As a Devil of Lust, she is more susceptible to your aura.**

 **[Divination Check: Pass (Automatic)]**

 **{Time left until puberty: 2y 5mo 30d 5hr 10min 6s}**

 **{Time left until most likely cause of death: 108y 4mo 20d 9hr 56min 44s}**

I finished reading the words, Kuroka having broken the kiss a while back. She was now sobbing into my shirt, arms still locked around me.

'…'

'…'

'… _Any help, here?'_

' _ **Sorry bro. 'Romance' is not any part of eating, fighting, or fucking. I'm as clueless here as you are.'**_

' _Any ideas at all? I'm starting to feel really awkward, here.'_

' _ **I dunno, hug her or something. Maybe pet her ears. That looks like it would help.'**_

'… _You just want me to pet her ears.'_

' _ **They do look soft.'**_ he agreed.

I sighed, wrapping my arms around the sobbing Nekoshou. She stiffened slightly, as if not expecting the sudden contact, but relaxed. I raised a hand, and, after a brief hesitation, began petting her as if she were a large cat.

Ten seconds later, she was purring loudly.

'… _I don't even… just… what?'_

' _ **Don't know, don't care. She's fucking adorable.'**_

I waited another minute or so, still petting the purring Nekoshou, before stepping away. She looked up at me, eyes shining, a hurt expression on her face. "D-Dee?"

I shook my head. "Not right now, Kuroka. Vassago ordered all Nekoshou in the city killed. We need to get you to safety while I call off the search."

Kuroka's eyes widened in horror. "A-all the…? No. No way. He wouldn't." she whispered.

"He did. That's why I'm here," I told her bluntly. "Do you have the Book?"

"The Boo—oh, you mean Rin. Yes, I have her. She's a Grimoire now. But what about my family? My sister? Are they alive?"

My heart sank. "I'm sorry, Kuroka," I murmured gently. "I got there as fast as I could."

She shook her head, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. "No. Shirone's not dead. I would _know_."

I glanced at my watch. "Look, we don't have time right now. Go get the Book, I'll call off the bounty. We'll meet behind the castle. Then, if you can still sense your sister, we can try to find her."

She nodded, wiping her eyes. "A-all right. Good luck."

She turned and fled, disappearing a moment later. I didn't bother tracking her, instead turning my attention inwards. ' _Instinct? You have that guy's memories, right?'_

' _ **Yeah, why?'**_

' _Do you think you could pull off a decent act?'_

'… _ **Jesus, you really haven't checked your stats in forever. We have an Acting ability that's nearly Legendary due to all the slimy bastards we ate. Sure, I could pretend to be him for a bit. Do you need me to?'**_

' _Yes. I suck at acting.'_

' _ **King, I just told y—oh, whatever. Sit back and use your Sight, I've got this. I'll tell you when I'm done.'**_

I ceded control over to my more violent Aspect, doing as he suggested and looking ahead. I sorted the various futures into groups, looking for similarities between them. In the one where I just dragged Kuroka back to Shark, we both arrived safely with no problems. But in every other future…

Dead ends. All at the same point, down to the same second.

I began trying to discover what changed, scanning through the futures as fast as I could. As far as I could tell, there were no similarities aside from us choosing to look for Shirone, who was apparently still alive and in the forest somewhere. Then Kuroka would feel a spike of panic from the little Nekoshou, and the future abruptly cut off.

' _ **Arright, King. You're up.'**_

I blinked, reclaiming my body and looking into the startled eyes of Kuroka. I felt my lips pressing against something, and immediately pulled away. ' _Instinct? Did you kiss Kuroka?'_

' _ **You're welcome.'**_

'… _Whatever. Just don't do it again.'_

' _ **Fiiine.'**_

' _But you aren't getting any ice cream anymore.'_

'… _ **I hate you sometimes.'**_

Still flushed, Kuroka turned and began to walk away. "U-um, s-so, R-Rin is over here."

I nodded and followed, turning the corner to see a door set into the wall of the castle. Kuroka knocked softly, murmuring something, and the door clicked open. She pulled, and it swung open. Instantly, a reddish blur knocked her to the ground. "Kuro-nee!"

 **(A Dream Unfulfilled)  
[Rin]  
{Race: Grimoire}  
{Status: Normal}**

I blinked, staring at the new arrival. She was a young girl, about my age, with reddish-brown hair and eyes. Her innocent features were highlighted by a large white bow on the back of her head, long hair stretching to her waist. She wore a plain pink dress with a frilly white overcoat that buttoned down the front. She clutched what seemed to be a pane of glass to her chest.

'… _Oh my God, you were right.'_

'… _ **I was fucking**_ **joking** _ **. I didn't actually think…'**_

The girl let go of Kuroka, seeming to notice me. Her eyes lit up, and her face brightened in a smile. "Master!" she cheered, tackling me in a hug. "You're back! The mean man said you died, but I didn't believe him. Master can't die, because that would leave Kuro-chan and I alone in a world of uncultured swine!"

'…'

'…'

' _ **I fucking love this girl.'**_

' _Shut up, Instinct.'_

' _ **No, seriously, we're keeping her.'**_

' _Shut UP, Instinct.'_

I smiled at the girl. "Hey, Rin. It's good to see you. But we don't have much time right now, so can you get me the gem that was at the bottom of the Sharingan Entry?"

' _Please tell me she has it… yes! She has it! Ha!'_

' _ **You know, it's really weird watching this shit. I mean, I know you're looking into the future, but I can't see what you're looking at. It just looks like you randomly start cheering.'**_

The little Grimoire blinked. "Oh, I almost forgot I had that. Give me a sec." She lowered the pane of glass in her arms, tapping and swiping as if it were a tablet. Dozens of icons flew by, and she finally stopped at a blue icon with a hemispherical multi-faceted gem on it. She tapped it, and the air above the tablet formed into an exact copy of the icon on the screen. "Here you go!"

I took the gem, thinking back to the instructions I had read so very long ago. I was supposed to place the gem on my forehead, then channel mana into it. So, hesitantly activating my Mangekyō, I saved and placed the gem on my forehead. A spike of mana later, and the gem began to glow.

…I was getting really tired of this whole 'excruciating pain' thing.

I felt like my eyes were melting, acid bubbling down my optic nerves and into my brain. The gem on my forehead began to heat up, going from warm to boiling hot in a matter of seconds. I grit my teeth, bearing the pain without screaming this time. Then, as the pain reached its' peak, I felt something _catch_ , like something smooth hitting a bump. The pain gradually lessened, and the gem cooled once more.

I loosened my jaw, grimacing from the pain. Regeneration is great and all, but it occasionally missed the smaller aches. I handed the gem back to Rin, forcing a smile. "Thanks, Rin."

She smiled cheerfully, dropping the gem back into her odd pane of glass. "Anything for you, Master!"

I turned, eyes aching slightly from how sharp everything now seemed. It was the second time I had experienced something like this, but it still didn't fail to take my breath away. I could now see tiny details I had previously missed, like the flecks of amber in Kuroka's golden eyes, or the floral designs embroidered in white on Rin's overcoat.

I used a flicker of mana to make a mirror of ice, glancing down into my new eyes. The new addition looked rather like a ҉ symbol, the hourglass silhouette from my Mangekyō featuring in its center. I felt a rush of power from my new eyes as they finished acclimating to my mana, my mind instantly adjusting to the new input. I didn't bother trying to figure out what they did, instead scrying myself with God's Eyes. The Spider's Eyes were incapable of telling me anything I didn't already know, but maybe God's Eyes surpassed that limitation when it came to my own Abilities. So if I just...

— _Blink Step {Godly} LvMAX_

Yes!

' _Instinct, help me out here. The fuck does Blink Step do?'_

' _ **Gimme a sec… uh… King? You got this thing from the Author, right? The legitimate madman?'**_

' _Yeah, why?'_

' _ **The Sharingan Entry mentioned that the Eternal Mangekyō gives you the previous user's skills.'**_

' _And?'_

'… _ **Check your stats. All of them.'**_

I frowned, doing as he suggested.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: What Doesn't Kill You Hurts Like Hell  
Race: Wendigo (*)  
Level: 592_

 _Status:  
-Curse of the Wendigo (PERMANENT) (Negates all mental inhibitions and influences, both positive and negative)  
-Wendigo's Freezing Chill (PERMANENT)  
-Madness of Creation (PERMANENT) (NEGATED)_

 _Talent Values:_

 _MP: 567,000/567,000 [56,700,000/56,700,000]  
Physical Attack: 21,790  
Physical Defense: 17,980  
Magical Attack: 60,970  
Magical Resistance: 65,370  
Agility: 69,943_

 _Total Value: 190,242_

 _Abilities:_ _Traits:_ _**Legacy:**_ **[Imported:]**

— _Attack Magic (All) {Legendary} Lv24_

— _Cooking {Mystic} Lv86_

— _Clairvoyance {Mystic} Lv7_

— _Weapons Mastery {Phantasmal} LvMAX  
-Spear Mastery LvMAX  
-Archery {Godly} Lv93  
-Swordsmanship {Legendary} Lv56_

— _Smithing {Phantasmal} Lv95_

— _Absorption Consumption LvMAX_

— _Arts Proficiency LvMAX  
-Piano and Harp {Godly} LvMAX  
-Brass {Legendary} Lv54  
-Strings {Mystic} Lv96  
-Woodwinds {Advanced} Lv5  
-Voice {Phantasmal} LvMAX  
-Acting {Legendary} Lv2_

— _Larceny {Phantasmal} Lv5_

— _Memento Mori {Phantasmal} LvMAX_

— _Blink Step {Godly} LvMAX_

— _Memorial Lv18/20_

 _Traits:_ _Abilities:_ _**Legacy:**_ **[Imported:]**

— _Dual Soul {Legendary} Lv5_

— _Mad Perspective, Mad Wisdom LvMAX_

— _Twisted Charisma {Advanced} Lv32_

— _Devil's Silver Tongue_

— _Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan  
God's Eyes LvMAX  
Devil's Eyes of Night LvMAX_

— _Angelic Form LvMAX_

— _Perfect Body LvMAX_

— _Absolute Regrowth {Phantasmal} Lv13  
Phantasmal Rebirth LvMAX_

— _Divinity Lv3  
Divine Strength {Godly} Lv5  
Divine Core LvMAX  
The Unseen Form Lv1/10_

— _Galvanism {Godly} Lv57_

— _Authority {Godly} Lv3  
Dominion over Time (LvMAX)  
Dominion over Death (LvMAX)_

 _ **Legacy:**_ _Abilities:_ _Traits:_ **[Imported:]**

— _ **Father Time  
Time Pause {Phantasmal} Lv49**_

— _ **Angel of Death  
Annihilation {Phantasmal} Lv2**_

— _ **Genius Within Madness  
Mad Perspective, Mad Wisdom LvMAX**_

— _ **Shapeshift {Phantasmal} LvMAX  
FOREIGNER (Locked)  
BERSERKER (Locked)  
Lord Vassago  
Chronos the Primordial  
Samael the Dragon Eater  
Angelic Form  
Yokai (+) (-)  
Grim Reaper  
Human**_

 **[Imported:]** _Abilities:_ _Traits:_ _**Legacy:**_

 **[Where There's a Will, There's a Way] LvMAX**

 **[Mind Over Matter] Lv1/100**

 **[Chokhmah] Lv1/100**

' _Please tell me those do what I think they do.'_

' _ **Heh. Let's just say that the Author sure is a mad bastard.'**_

 _ **[Where There's a Will, There's a Way]**_

 _ **Where there's a will, there's always a way. No matter how dire the situation is, you are able to find a way out of it and inspire others to do the same.  
Passively: Increase the chance of finding a solution in dire situations by 50% and inspires others to find a solution by 40% and raise morale and combat ability for every individual inspired by 20%**_

 _ **[Mind Over Matter]  
You have reached a point where you are able to interfere with the laws of the world with your mind. The higher the level of this skill, the more mental abilities you are able to create and the more powerful they become.**_

 _ **[Chokhmah]  
The Wisdom that arises from nothingness—the first step away from that which cannot be grasped. The first moment of thought brings with it the first glimpse of the world and the first moment of Wisdom, and from that spark flows both Creativity and Terror.  
100% increase to the effectiveness of all skills that calculate effectiveness based on Wisdom.  
100% increase to the effectiveness of all skills that are used to create something new.  
100% increase to experience gained by all such skills.**_

I felt an evil cackle bubbling in my throat, but fought it down. Evil cackling is bad for one's health. Despite its proven stress-relieving effect, it's too easy to miss unexpected developments that a more attentive individual could adjust to accordingly.

Ahem.

' _That's pretty kickass.'_

' _ **You think that's cool? Getting that upgrade finally pushed you over the threshold of Divinity. Guess what the trait you just got was?'**_

' _Do tell.'_

 _ **[The Unseen Form]**_

 _ **An Ability granted to those of such enlightenment that that can no longer be considered wholly physical or spiritual entities, but instead a mixture of both. Existing in two worlds simultaneously, those with this Ability may interact freely with either world and are more resistant to effects that come solely from one. Furthermore, by drawing from the power of their dual existence, they may rise above the concerns that bind others.  
Causes the user to exist as a dual entity, made as much of spirit as flesh.  
The user of this Ability may draw sustenance from his soul rather than his body, circumventing the need for biological necessities, including air.  
As an existence that is at once body and soul, the user may draw upon both to fortify the whole. Physical Resistance and HP Regeneration are added to Magical Resistance and MP Regeneration. Magical Resistance and MP Regeneration are added to Physical Resistance and HP Regeneration.**_

' _Huh. I take it I'm the 'Mental' and you're the 'Physical'?'_

' _ **Hell if I know. I just can't wait to get good enough to match an Ultimate-Class.'**_

' _Speaking of which… you never did explain what Blink Step does.'_

' _ **Oh, right. Here.'**_

 _ **[Blink Step]**_

 _ **Blink: Allows the user to instantly shift the location of himself, others, objects, and other techniques within a range of ten meters. This range can be increased if the user swaps himself with an ordinary object. This technique not only switches the position, but the momentum and direction of the switched targets as well.**_

 _ **Step: Allows the user to teleport to any place within the range of the user's senses, regardless of any obstacles. One charge every five minutes. This technique not only changes one's position, but their momentum and direction as well.**_

'… _I was expecting something more.'_

' _ **What, you think every ability in existence is the epitome of awesome? If that were the case, everyone would be gods. Hell, there's probably some poor bastard with the ability to grow a third arm or some shit.'**_

'… _A third arm? Out of where?'_

' _ **Hehehehehehe…'**_

' _Nope. I'm out.'_

I finally returned to the present, Thought Acceleration fading away. I used my Eternal Mangekyō for the first time, saving my location in case there was a bomb or something. That would explain the sudden cut-off of my Sight.

"Kuroka, can you tell me where your sister is right now?"

She nodded, face turning serious. "Right." She focused, and an invisible aura ripple out from where she stood. Her ears twitched, and a frown crossed her face. "She's being chased, along with someone else. In the forest, over there."

She pointed, and I extended my Clairvoyance in that direction. It was time to try this thing out.

"Wait!" Kuroka suddenly shouted, panic crossing her face. "I felt someone's life force go out! Someone just died! The person who was with her just killed someone!"

I frowned, trying to sense what she was describing. A little shift in perception, and _there._ I flexed the mental muscle that led to my Sharingan, and space around me warped.

I found myself right next to a tall, red-haired man in a lab coat and a wide smile. Madness sparked from his eyes, a palpable aura of power raging around him in a corona of destruction.

The Red Man.

He dodged to the left, laughing and taunting a furious-looking Devil. I used their lack of attention to scry the more obvious threat.

 **(Dreams of the Fallen)  
[M̷̵̧͘͠ ͢͏&̛͜͞%͘͜͜͜͡^̶̵͘͟͠#̷̶̵̡͠ ̴̛͢͝͠ ̶̸̨^̶̸́͠͝_̡̡̢́=̨͠4̵̵̕͘0̸̢͠r̵͘Y̴̡͠͡]  
{Race: EXISTENCE OUTSIDE THE DOMAIN}  
[Lv. ]  
{Status: Distortion (Severe)}**

I winced, my eyes smarting from the warped text. ' _The fuck?'_

' _ **Translation: GET THE FUCK OUT OF THERE!'**_ Instinct suddenly shouted, voice deadly serious. ' **That** _**is something that only got in because you fucked with the time stream! Most of your powers won't even affect that thing, just because he's outside the realm of your Authority! If he decides to attack you, YOU ARE DEAD.'**_

' _Wait, so The Red Man only exists because of Memento Mori?'_

' _ **Well, that and you usurping Domains so far beyond your reach they might as well be impossible to get. These things add up, you know, and this isn't some cute 'OP character kicks ass' story. You WILL get your ass handed to you, and your actions DO have consequences. Why do you think you can't use your Sight? That**_ **thing** _**probably blocks it, just by existing.'**_

I exhaled shakily. ' _Understood. But… what about Shirone?'_

'…' Instinct hesitated, then sighed, sounding resigned. ' _ **Leave her. If you don't, you'll die, and raise the chance of someone like that slipping through again.'**_

I grit my teeth. ' _But Shirone… she's just a kid! Who knows what that bastard'll do to her!'_

' _ **Look. Kuroka said that he was**_ **near** _**her, right? Use your Sight, maybe we can get her out of here before Red here does. He seems a bit tied up right now.'**_

I nodded, quickly locating the little Nekoshou with my Sight and Blinking to her. She looked slightly shell-shocked, but struggled when I tried to grab her. "Listen! I'm with your sister, I can take you to her!" I shouted, dodging a punch.

"Liar!" she hissed, ears flattening and tail lashing. "Go away!"

I grit my teeth, grabbing her and stretching my senses once more. Step was still recharging, so maybe if I—

I was torn away from Shirone, and a familiar blackness covered my sight.

I opened my eyes to see Kuroka and Rin once more. ' _Instinct? What just happened?'_

' _ **You just died, dumbass.'**_ he answered bluntly. ' _ **Like I said you would if he decided to kill you. He caught you, broke both arms, tossed you in the air, and dissolved you at the subatomic level. I could've reformed us, but he would've just done the same thing again.'**_

' _I have to try again.'_

' _ **No, you don't. You have to survive, get the girls who are obviously more important to you to safety, and then get the fuck out. Your Sight already shows you how, you're just choosing not to.'**_

My teeth ground together. ' _But she's only five! How the hell will she even survive?'_

' _ **She won't. But you and everyone you care about will.'**_

' _I have to at least try. I have this Ability for a reason.'_

' _ **Oh yeah? And what might that be? Some cryptic bullshit about saving everyone? Main character powers? No, you have your powers because you ate your dead friend and killed dozens of people in cold blood. Get real, you're no savior. You're just a guy with shitty luck.'**_

'… _So what if I am? I can at least try to correct my mistake by wiping that guy out. If I try hard enough, I can eventually become immune to all his powers, then I can just kill him with Gáe Bolg.'_

' _ **Oh yeah? Check your notifications.'**_

I blinked, activating God's Eyes.

 **[Memorial has been disabled due to cause of death. No bonuses have been gained.]**

' _ **All you'll be doing is fucking up the time stream by dying repeatedly. And since he's blocking your ability to get stronger, you'll be trapped in an infinite cycle of death and rebirth until the Balance finally has enough and removes you from existence.'**_

' _What if I used Annihilation?'_

' _ **Annihilation? You mean that thing that comes from your Domain? Oh, yeah, let's use that on something that's immune to Domains.'**_

' _ALL RIGHT FINE. I won't go on a crusade against the guy. I'll stop after ten tries.'_

' _ **Five tries.'**_

' _Seven.'_

' _ **FIVE. This is not a negotiation, it's me telling you I'm going to call it at five tries.'**_

' _Since when have_ you _not negotiated?'_

' _ **Since now. I die when you die, and I don't have a pain resistance ability. Five tries, then I shut you down.'**_

I growled, whirling around. ' _Fine.'_

"Dee?" Kuroka asked, looking concerned.

"I'll go get your sister. You stay here." I commanded, using Step.

I appeared beside The Red Man once more, pulling out Gáe Bolg and taking aim. Galvanism let me ignore the charge time, so I just cocked back my arm and threw. "Gáe Bolg!"

The spear glowed, tracking Red as he moved. Red noticed the spear, dodging. I smirked. ' _Gonna have to do better than that.'_

And then he held out a hand, and the spear fucking _dissolved_.

My jaw dropped, and I hastily dodged a return blow that seemed to consist of a single thin thread. I didn't know what or where the hell it was, but my Sight told me it was there and able to kill me. Five seconds later, I was gradually being caged in by dozens of barely-visible threads. And for a guy with eyes that can see down to the molecular level, 'barely visible' is frankly terrifying.

The scariest part, though, was the fact that _he_ _wasn't even paying attention_. He continued his merry dance with the enraged Devil woman, dodging explosions and occasionally returning a blow. He always struck with a speed even a child could follow, which would make me drop my guard if not for the _instant fucking teleportation_ bullshit he kept pulling. Devil woman throws explosive spell, Red Man laughs and pops out of existence, reappearing ten feet away with an annoyingly amused expression on his face. Or, worse, he tanks the explosion with not even a hair out of place, before landing a shallow slice on his opponent.

' _What the hell is he doing? I can't even see a spell matrix!'_

' _ **I told you that you were outclassed. Believe me, yet?'**_

' _Well, maybe if I—'_

Blackness ensued once more.

I grimaced, stumbling back as I gasped for breath.

"D-Dee?" Kuroka asked, concerned. "Are you all right?"

I waved her off. "I'm fine. Just had something backfire on me, that's all."

' _All right, what was it that time? I had my Sight on the entire time, I should've been able to see whatever it was coming!'_

' _ **I don't know. And that terrifies me.'**_ Instinct murmured. ' _ **Since he seems to be playing with that other bitch, he's obviously stalling for something. Something huge. Something that can apparently no-sell your Sight.'**_

' _I am getting sick and tired of things no-selling my Sight. First it's Hell itself fucking with me, then it's Chronos with his BS Time Control, then it's a red-haired asshole with a Devil-may-care attitude. The universe seems determined to get me killed.'_

' _ **Or maybe, it's because we can't stop sticking our noses into trouble. None of those things would've happened if you hadn't gone into the Mines. We**_ **knew** _**fate was screwy around that place, but we went anyway.'**_

' _Because I didn't want to leave Carn alone.'_

' _ **And look where that got you. Every time you try to haul someone else's ass out of danger, you just get yourself deeper in than they are.'**_

I sighed, conceding the point. Both of us knew we wouldn't stop, though. If someone close to me was in danger, I would help them however I can. And even if Shirone only met me a few times, she was important to Kuroka, and that was good enough for me.

I turned, calling over to Kuroka and Rin to stay where they were before using Blink once more.

Maybe if I used my awesome spear skills? If they worked on Chronos, they could work on him, right?

* * *

No, they did not. I got all of two strikes in before he threw a ball of something _wrong_ at me, and it was all over.

Balmung, perhaps?

* * *

Nope. He just jumped around and stalled until this huge-ass wave that defied all logic smashed me out of the air and killed all of my supernatural abilities. Game over.

Well, I do have one Hrunting arrow left, and a shitload of other arrows to try. Let's see him looking so cocky when I'm raining high-grade explosives down on his head.

* * *

…What. Just… what.

'… _ **We will never speak of this again.'**_

' _He fucking ripped our clothes off. And it was a legitimate attack.'_

' _ **No, he ripped our clothes off as a warning. Any attack that can touch only clothes is a testament to ridiculous levels of control. When we kept going, he then ripped the flesh off our bones, then when we regenerated that, he ripped off everything but our bones. I stopped regenerating after that.'**_

'… _Who the fuck would actually use that as an attack!? It just seems so… so useless!'_

' _ **It's more of a 'look what I could've done to your skull' than anything. I'll bet it works wonders on people with thick, expensive armors.'**_ I could almost see his lewd grin. ' _ **Or thicc, expansive boo-tays.'**_

I closed my eyes, counting to ten. It wouldn't do for my friends to suddenly start trying to strangle myself.

* * *

'… _ **Okay. To summarize. That guy is completely, batshit crazy.'**_

'… _He shoved his fingers up my asshole and shot a bolt of lightning up the shitter. Who in their right mind would even do something like that?'_

' _ **Someone who seemed to be enjoying the expression on your face as you started cursing him out.'**_

' _My asshole will be having phantom pains for months, now.'_

' _ **Look on the bright side. You've had your five tries, so you can safely say you're outclassed. He didn't move faster than one of your leisurely walks the entire time, and as you found out when you tried to figure out who was sending out the big-ass wave, he can apparently clone himself. Can you imagine fifty of that guy, all taking you seriously?'**_

'… _Point taken.'_

I sighed, turning to Kuroka with a serious expression on my face. "Kuroka. Listen to me. Your little sister is being guarded by The Red Man, and he casually used me as a punching bag every time I tried. At your level, you couldn't last any longer than I did, and that's when he's just stalling while an attack charges."

Kuroka blinked, absorbing my words. "R-Red Man?" she managed, paling. "T-the one that—"

"Yes, that one," I interrupted. "If we leave now, we can get away before he releases his attack."

"B-but Shirone…" she whispered.

My gaze softened. "I'm sorry, Kuroka. I really am. But none of us have the power necessary to even scratch him." I forced a small smile, trying to think of a reason Shirone might survive. "If it helps, The Red Man never hurts innocents, just gets enough attention that he doesn't have to. He'll probably just do something flashy to draw attention to the slaughter going on, then get the hell out before the Lucifer can catch him. And since the Lucifer is already in the neighborhood, and there's a victim perfectly willing to explain what happened…"

Kuroka relaxed slightly, color returning to her cheeks. "R-right. Sure. Shirone will be fine." She took a deep breath, letting it out. "Is there really nothing we can do?"

I shook my head, checking my Sight one more time. "No. Nothing."

She smiled sadly. "O-okay. Take us to we're going, then. We'll just have to trust The Red Man."

I sighed in relief. I was afraid she'd put up more of an argument. "Good. Do you need to grab anything else?"

She shook her head. "No, Rin has everything stored."

I blinked. "Even the organic things?"

She nodded.

I nodded slowly. "I'm going to be asking a _lot_ of questions once we get the hell out of here. Hold on to me."

Both girls obligingly grabbed onto an arm each.

' _ **King.'**_

' _What?'_

Several seconds passed.

' _Well? What did you want?'_

' _ **Oh, I just wanted to bask in the moment. You can go ahead, now.'**_

'… _I hate you sometimes.'_

' _ **Feeling's mutual, buddy.'**_

I rolled my eyes, spreading Clairvoyance and my Sight wide. Once I had found where Shark was with my Sight, I locked onto him with my Clairvoyance and used Step.

' _My God, this is useful. Now I don't have to run everywhere.'_

Shark turned, noticing us and jerking in surprise. "Jesus, kid. Where the hell did you come from?"

"A murder scene," I replied drily. "Got room for two more?"

He glanced over Kuroka and Rin. "Of course. And they are…? Ah, Kuroka and Rin. You have fairly good mental defenses, but you seem a bit lacking compared to your friend, here." He paused, a smirk growing across his face. "Oh? Not friends, then? Something more?"

Kuroka's face turned a brilliant red, and Rin burst into giggles. "Kuro-nee likes Masteeer~!" she teased. "Kuro-nee likes-mmph!"

I blinked, using God's Eyes on the little Grimoire once more.

 **(A Dream Unfulfilled)  
[Rin]  
{Race: Grimoire}  
{Status: Silenced (Severe)}**

…Okay, then. I… I have no words. Just…

I sighed, ignoring the problem for now. I could deal with this when I wasn't being chased by half the population of Naskapi. "How long until the spell is ready?"

Shark's smirk dropped, a more authoritative expression taking its' place. "Not long, but too long to avoid conflict. Our shields won't hold much longer. Do you think you could help fight them off when they break through?"

A slightly psychotic grin crossed my face. "Oh, would I?" The grin widened. "Hell, open the shield now. I need to kill some scrubs to remind myself that not everything in this world can one-shot me."

Shark didn't ask any questions, instead barking out orders and pointing me towards the door of the large warehouse. I slipped out of Kuroka and Rin's grips and pulled Gáe Bolg out of my Gem. Then, I was moving, my Agility blurring the world around me as I raced forward, flying through the door and the hole in the domed shield that was conveniently in my path.

The next five minutes were me one-sidedly curb-stomping the entirety of Naskaipi's lowlife. Since the shield was acting as a bottleneck for the incoming thugs, I didn't have to worry about any slipping past me and into the warehouse. It was like shooting fish in a barrel, really. Mind-numbing, senseless, and _oh so easy_.

Get rekt, scrubs.

Finally, someone shouted my name, bringing me out of my slight frenzy.

 **[The Curse of the Wendigo has reactivated.]**

"Dee! We're leaving!" Kuroka shouted again.

I sighed, watching the hole in the shield close up and as I used my red spear to kill the last straggler. "Right, got it. Thanks." I turned, walking back through the door I had shattered on my way out.

Inside, a large magic circle took up most of the floor space. The only reason it didn't take up _all_ the floor space was that, well, it was a circle. The warehouse was a rectangle. Simple geometry. I activated my Eyes (Oh, come on. Of course I had them off. Who the hell would use the Eyes of Misery just for reking scrubs?) and memorized the spell's layout. ' _Instinct, can we use this?'_

' _ **Oh, yeah. And you caught her first spell, too. The one she used to pull you across the city. I tried figuring that one out, but it just didn't want to work for me. Must be Yokai magic or something.'**_

' _But we already ate several Yokai.'_

' _ **I said 'or something'.'**_

I sighed, closing my eyes as the circle began to glow even brighter. I could see the flash of our transportation even through my eyelids, and I heard Kuroka yelp from beside me. Then the light faded, and I opened my eyes once more.

We were in a large, ornately decorated hall, lavished with gold and jewels. It seemed oriental in its decoration, with lots of statues of odd creatures and old oil paintings.

I really didn't care about all that, too busy looking ahead, Thought Acceleration allowing me to work overtime. In about fifty seconds, a really fat man with jowls would burst in, yell at us to get our asses out, and kick us out into the streets. He wouldn't believe us when we told him we were from Naskapi, insisting that we 'scruffy vagabonds' get out of 'the noble Lady Yasaka's palace'.

Fucking prick.

Well what if I—nope. But if—nope. Jesus, this guy was an asshole. And if I knocked him out, the entire guard would come and chase us out. Wow. I was not expecting this kind of thing when I saved the last of the Nekoshou race. Maybe a formal meeting full of political bullshit that all boiled down to 'thank you but don't expect us to like you', or an overly polite address from the ruler stating that we had ten seconds to get the hell out before he called the guards. But getting turned away at the door? Hell no.

Idea time.

…

…

…

' _Nope, I've got nothing.'_

I searched the future once more, looking for more clues as to what I could do. Since I could never escape the room we were in without attracting the notice of the guard, I instead began examining the room itself, looking for inspiration.

A really expensive-looking pot… a painting of a bearded old man… a wall scroll with Japanese script I couldn't read… a golden statue of a fox… a jade toad… a—Wait. Go back. A fox. Kitsune.

Something tugged in the back of my mind, and I vaguely remembered reading about Japanese mythology in the Book. I didn't have my Sharingan then, so the memory was more than a little fuzzy, but I at least remembered the Kyuubi-no-Kitsune from the Book's descriptions. One Entry in particular spoke of a fearsome Bijuu named Kurama who was _literally_ a Chakra monster. Feared as the most powerful of all the creatures, Kurama rampaged freely until he was sealed into a Jinchūriki.

So, if Kitsune were considered the most powerful… could I use that?

' _Oi, Instinct!'_

' _ **What?'**_

' _Do you remember that one drug dealer we killed last Tuesday?'_

' _ **Which one? We were busting a trafficking ring, dumbass. There were, like, ten thousand of the fuckers.'**_

' _Four hundred, but whatever. I meant the Kitsune one.'_

' _ **Eh… the guy who smelled like old cheese?'**_

'… _Yes. That one. Jesus, I had forgotten about the smell. Anyway, do we have his form?'_

' _ **Well, not HIS form, but we can turn into a Kitsune. Why?'**_

' _Okay, so do you know its instincts and such?'_

' _ **Yeah. It's really not that different than everything else, really. Eat, fight, fuck.'**_

' _But do Kitsune evolve? Like, gain more tails and such?'_

' _ **Yeah, they get a tail for every hundred years they're alive. Of course, if they ever don't have enough energy to ascend to the next form, they're basically deadlocked at the tail they're at for the rest of their lives.'**_

My mind began to churn. ' _All right. So, hypothetically, if I combined Chronos's Authority with your Shapeshift, we could artificially create a Kyuubi?'_

'… _ **Yes. I think. Maybe. I mean, in order to reach the ninth tail, you'd need a spark of Divinity, but you already have that. The problem is, we're too ambivalent and impure to become Zenko, or the 'celestial foxes', so we'd have to be Yako, or the 'field foxes'.'**_

' _You lost me. The fuck is a Zenko?'_

' _ **The zenko are benevolent, celestial foxes associated with prosperity and new life. They're the ones with the golden fur and goody-two-shoes attitudes. The Yako are the complete opposite, being earthly beings rather than celestial ones, hence the name 'field fox'. They tend to be mischievous or even malicious, and have nearly no control over their power. But what they lack in control, they make up for in raw power over the elements. Capiche?'**_

'… _Er, yes. But why would it be a problem that we're a Yako?'_

' _ **Well, aside from having a bad rep, Yako are notoriously destructive and annoying to keep around.'**_

' _No, I mean for us.'_

' _ **Oh. Right. Yako, because of the sheer power requirements to become one, basically have to meditate in front of a volcano until it becomes dormant in order to gain the amount of Nature Chakra they need to evolve.'**_

' _How much?'_

' _ **What?'**_

' _How much energy does it take to go between tails?'_

' _ **Eh… well, according to God's Eyes, it starts at ten thousand mana to get past one, then takes double that for every one after that. So ten thousand plus twenty thousand plus thirty thousand and so on. To ascend to the highest possible level, it actually takes an extra hundred thousand. So… a total of 550,000 points of raw, untainted mana. No Divine Core buffs.'**_

I blinked. ' _You can use God's Eyes like that?'_

' **I** _**can,'**_ he replied smugly.

I rolled my eyes, checking my MP.

 _MP: 546,672/567,000_

' _So, hypothetically, we could pull this off.'_

' _ **Not so fast. You still need a shitload of Nature Chakra.'**_

' _Oh. Um… didn't we get a Senjutsu Ability from eating Randy Smalls?'_

' _ **Yes, but we'd still need the equivalent of an entire volcano's worth of Chakra.'**_

' _Shit.'_ I considered the problem for a bit, trying to imagine somewhere with _that much_ Nature Chakra just floating around. I mean, it's not like it grows on trees, for God's sake. ' _Do we need the actual Chakra, or will raw energy do?'_

'… _ **You do realize that you can literally just convert one to the other, right?'**_

' _Uh… no. I did not know that.'_

' _ **Yeah, Kuroka explained it once. I was organizing your old memories and stumbled across it.'**_

' _I see.'_ I thought back to the Book, wondering if some of the Author's crazier ideas would be able to help. ' _What if we converted mass to energy, and then that to Chakra?'_

'… _ **Excuse me?'**_

' _No, seriously. E=mc^2, remember? The Book had an entire Entry on it. The increased relativistic mass of a body times the speed of light squared is equal to the kinetic energy of that body.'_

'… _ **Math is bad. It makes me hiss.'**_

' _You had zero problem with it ten seconds ago!'_ I took a deep breath, calming myself. ' _Okay, so think of it this way. You know Perfect Body? You said it converts excess weight into energy, right?'_

'… _ **Yeah?'**_

' _So what if we used that? We've eaten, like, six dozen people.'_

'…'

'…'

'… _ **You get off on pulling things out of your ass, don't you?'**_

' _But will it work?'_ I persisted, ignoring the insult.

' _ **Eh… yes? I mean, we could try it. It would be literally eating our own body, though. Plus, we'd still need to turn it into some kind of natural energy so we could absorb it, and I'd rather not burst into flames.'**_

' _Then what about that one time we tried getting hit by lightning in the middle of a thunderstorm? Do we still have some of that energy left?'_

'… _ **We really need to talk about your training methods.'**_

' _Shut up. I was running low on energy and wanted to know if I would survive it, okay?'_

' _ **You tried to eat lightning.'**_

' _Well, it worked for Laxus.'_

' _ **That was a Section of the Book that was so ridiculous, even you questioned its' validity.'**_

' _What's that supposed to mean?'_

' _ **It means I got all the common sense, here. And that the Author has a penchant for the ridiculous.'**_

I rolled my eyes. ' _Moving on from that. I absorbed a good half of that lightning strike before it fried me. Could we control the amount of energy we use, and then just slowly convert it into a more natural form of electricity?'_

' _ **Bioelectricity?'**_

' _Exactly. Even if we fried something important, we'd just regenerate it instantly.'_

'… _ **Your power is bullshit.'**_

' _I regret nothing. Can we do it?'_

' _ **Yeah, but it'll hurt like hell. Pain Tolerance can only do so much about your body literally devouring itself in order to electrocute itself.'**_

I shrugged. ' _Well, at this point, pretty much every power-up I've ever had hurt like someone were dipping me in acid.'_

' _ **Fair point.'**_ He paused, concerned. ' _ **Are you ready for this?'**_

' _Ready as I'll ever be. What do you need me to do?'_

' _ **Nothing much, just give me control of the body for a bit. I have a bit of an idea what I'm doing, but I'm going to have to experiment a bit. Mind sending over the Domain of Time, too?'**_

I reached into the back of my mind, tugging lightly on the ancient-new feeling of the Domain. ' _Here. Don't use it for too long, it hurts like hell once you turn it off.'_

' _ **Got it. I'll be done in a bit.'**_

The world faded to black, and I tensed. A minute later, the pain hit. Instead of the previous acidic feeling, this was a static crackle that built until it was agonizing. My entire form ached, curling into the fetal position as the current increased. As my mind finally went white with pain, I briefly wondered if I was dying.

I came to an indeterminate amount of time later, in the same space I had first met Instinct in. But, rather than darkness surrounding us, we seemed to be in a room walled with gigantic bronze gears. Instinct himself also seemed to have changed, having sprouted a pair of fox ears and nine tails.

"I take it that it worked?" I asked, noticing a bronze chair and sitting down. Across from me, Instinct did the same with a chair of pure black.

"Eh… actually, it worked too well." he admitted, sounding embarrassed.

I blinked. "How so?"

"Check your race, King."

I did so, focusing on myself and bringing up my stats.

 _Race: Yako Kitsune (Youkai)_

"Why did it change?" I asked, glancing up.

He shrugged. "Hell if I know. This ain't a game, and God's Eyes ain't perfect. We haven't lost any of our Wendigo powers or instincts, so we probably just pushed a Shapeshift too far or some shit."

"I see." I frowned, glancing down at myself. Nine soft, bushy, _blue_ tails were curled around me. "So we can turn back to our original form at any time?"

"Pretty much, yeah. Oh, and you might want to get something to eat soon. I had to burn some of our body fat to make the cut."

I nodded. "Got it. I'll get us some ice cream later."

He grinned. "That's the spirit."

"All right, then. Take me back."

He waved goodbye, and the world around me dissolved.

I opened my eyes in the real world, a smirk crossing my face as I flipped through the futures. The fat slob was much less of an asshole now that he knew that I could kick his fat ass at any time. Very gratifying. Just in case, I also scouted out the rest of the palace with my Sight now that I was allowed out of the room.

' _Wait._ _How much mana do I have if I used most of it to transform?'_

I pulled up my statsheet.

 _289,754,000/290,304,000 [29,029,850,000/29,030,400,000]_

Oh holy Lord above.

' _Instinct? How the hell am I supposed to control this much power?'_

' _ **You already are, dumbass. You did it without thinking when you were in the Cocytus. It's mostly unconscious anyway, so just don't get pissed off and everything'll be fine.'**_

' _And I can do this with no ill effects whatsoever?'_

' _ **Eh… let me check.'**_

' _Well? Are there?'_

'… _ **Um… I can't turn off Twisted Charisma anymore. It must be a racial skill or something.'**_

'… _Oh shit.'_

' _ **Yeah.'**_

I grimaced, finally releasing Thought Acceleration. The world began to move once more, previously frozen people now continuing their actions.

Kuroka exhaled, turning to look at me. "We made it. I was worried for a second—what the hell?"

I frowned. "What? Never seen a Kitsune before?"

She stared for a few seconds. "Not one with nine tails. Those are practically royalty."

' _I guess I was right about them being important, then.'_

"I picked this form so we would actually get listened to rather than getting kicked out of the palace," I explained absently, trying to figure out how to move with nine extra limbs.

"They wouldn't do that… right?" Kuroka looked worried.

I sighed. "Seer, remember? In ten seconds a fat slob is going to kick in the door and start screaming at us."

Kuroka frowned, ears twitching and power gathering. I blinked, watching as the futures began shifting and changing. "Oh. I forgot you could do that. Did you figure it out while I was gone?"

She didn't get the chance to answer.

The door burst open, a red-faced man with rolls of fat bursting in. "What are you doing in Yasaka-sama's palace?" he shouted, face purpling with rage.

Shark stepped forward. "Excuse me, sir, but I'm the Kyoto representative of Naskapi, and I—"

The fat man scoffed loudly. "I don't care where you're from, get out! Riffraff like you doesn't belong in a palace such as this! Swine like you will only trample its diamonds!"

I stepped forward, cranking up my power level. I usually had it suppressed to under a hundred, but I made exceptions when trying to intimidate someone. I felt my Charisma activate as I spoke, slamming into the people around me, turning my words as smooth as honey and adding a layer of power to my voice. "I do not believe you heard us, little man," I boomed, power rolling off me in waves. People parted, clearing the way between me and him as I began to approach. "We are from Naskapi, the only remaining place where Nekoshou can live in peace. We have come here seeking asylum after the City Lord saw fit to order a death sentence for any Nekoshou within his walls. You WILL listen to us, and you WILL act. DO YOU HEAR ME?"

My voice echoed down the now silent hall. The man swallowed, eyes trailing from my nine lashing tails to my ears. "O-of course, my lord." His voice sounded pitifully weak when compared to mine, a fact that he seemed all too aware of. "P-please, have your people wait here. I shall take you to Lady Yasaka."

I smiled magnanimously, clamping down on my power once more and trying to suppress my Charisma. "That is all I ask."

' _Hey Instinct, I think I figured this thing out. I still can't turn it off, though.'_

' _ **Yeah, I can tell. By the way, the Devil's Silver Tongue merged with Twisted Charisma to make an active Ability called Presence. Just thought you should know.'**_

' _Sweet. Thanks. Mind trying to find a way to shut it off?'_

I followed the fat man as he hurriedly wobbled down a hall. My pace was even and measured, unbothered by his rapid pace. For a fat guy, he sure could move. But with how fast I was? He might as well be crawling.

Ah, such fun.

…Maybe getting my ass handed to me so many times turned me into a sadist?

My Sight flared as a golden-haired girl perhaps a year younger than myself burst out of a door to my right, directly into my path. I blurred into motion as she stumbled, almost tripping, and caught her in a princess carry. I casually lifted her in the air, smirking. The fat man continued his hurried pace, unaware of my disappearance. I glanced down at the surprised animal-eared girl in my arms, smirk still in place. "Careful, there." I blurred once more, setting her to the side, before reappearing right behind the fat man.

' _Damn, it's fun being strong. A year ago, I would've been panting with exhaustion by now, and would've crashed right into that girl.'_

' _ **Did you notice her ears?'**_

' _Yeah, some sort of dog, I think. The Eyes aren't perfect, and I still get tunnel vision above a certain speed.'_

 _ **'Huh.'**_

I slowed as the man, puffing for air, stopped in front of a large set of double doors. They were of smooth wood, engraved with a large tree and embossed with gold. The man turned to one of the wide-eyed guards and gestured to where I stood, whispering loudly about a foreign Kyubi coming to visit. I politely pretended I couldn't hear every word he said, instead looking aloof and proper.

My laughter was safely confined to the inside of my mind.

' _Do you see that guy's face?'_

' _ **Priceless! He looks like he's about to piss himself!'**_

' _I'm pretty sure the one on the left already did.'_

' _ **The one that looks like a frog?'**_

' _Yeah, that guy.'_

The guard that the fat man spoke to nodded once, turning and pushing open the heavy doors. The fat man swallowed loudly, then wobbled through. "L-Lady Yasaka?" he called hesitantly, walking down a path of red carpet that covered the marble flooring the rest of the room.

' _What's with royalty and their red carpets? I mean, it's not like we're going to wander anywhere else. The throne is raised so high you can't ignore it, and the rest of the room is empty.'_

' _ **I dunno. To feel important, maybe?'**_

"Omaeda!" A stern female voice echoed through the throne room. "Has my daughter been found?"

"E-er, no, Lady Yasaka," Omaeda stuttered nervously.

"Then what are you doing here? You are forbidden in this court save for the direst of emergencies."

I smiled to myself, stepping forward and using Galvanism to snap from zero to sixty in less than a second. I even activated my Divine Core to give it an extra kick, though I refrained from using its full capacity. Then, flexing the mental muscle that led to my Presence, I spoke. "That would be me."

The woman on the throne was a tall blonde with shapely curves and a traditional-looking outfit. Her eyes matched her hair, a honey gold that glowed softly with power. It sparked a recent memory of the girl in the hall. "And, I do believe I ran into your daughter on the way here, if it helps," I continued pleasantly, smiling as I continued forward. "Wonderful girl, though a bit unwary. If I were unable to stop myself at the speed I was going, I could have seriously injured her."

Yasaka's eyes flashed, and she made a gesture with her hand. "Leave us, Omaeda." The fat slob, unable to even breathe with the sheer amount of power I was exerting, somehow managed to stumble out of the room. Once the doors shut once more, I eased the power a bit. "I apologize for my subordinates. There are many powerful families in Kyoto, and I am forced to make some concessions."

I nodded. "I understand completely. I, myself, should be apologizing for the abruptness of my visit."

A quick glance with my eSight told me that the woman in front of me was humble and polite, yet firm when necessary. When I shifted the possibilities to check her power, I was slightly disappointed.

 **(Ruler of Shadow Kyoto)  
[Yasaka Kyoto]  
{Race: Zenko Kitsune (Yokai)}  
[Lv. ?]  
{Status: Wary}**

' _I was expecting something… more. She can't even escape Time Pause unless I give her a solid minute of struggling. In every future we fight, I end up kicking her ass. Is this for real?'_

' _ **She's a Zenko. They're better with control and channeling, but nothing compared to a Yako in terms of raw power. And if you don't even give her the chance to tap into the city's Leylines, then she's got no chance whatsoever.'**_

I sighed internally, slowing my mind once more. "Do you know why I am here?" I asked, my Thought Acceleration having made it so my pause was less than a second.

Yasaka shook her head, golden tails moving lazily as she shifted in her throne. "No. In fact, I was unaware that one of your sect had even Ascended."

I blinked. "My apologies, Lady Yasaka, but I am not here representing any sects of Kitsune. In fact, you are only the second Kitsune I have met in my life." I shook my head, my own tails shifting. "No, I am here to speak on the behalf of the Nekoshou of Naskapi."

She tilted her head. "I see. And what might the issue be?"

"They're dead," I replied drily.

There was a pause as she digested this. "Explain, _Yako_." she spat venomously. Her power spiked, now bubbling and rolling around her.

I sighed. "The City Lord ordered a mass genocide in order to 'convince' one of his test subjects to cooperate. I had nothing to do with it if that's what you're implying. I've lived a rather peaceful life, and only owe my Ascension to a lightning strike." ' _And eating half the criminal underworld like candy, but she doesn't need to know that.'_

She relaxed, but her stormy expression remained. "Well? Why are you here, then?"

"I am a Seer, and as soon as I Saw the coming disaster, I contacted Kyoto's representative to gain help in saving as many of them as I could," I began. "We were too late to save all of them, but I managed to fight off their attackers while Shark—the representative—began the evacuation. All of the survivors are currently in one of the halls of your palace, awaiting your verdict."

Her eyes widened, and her gaze softened. "My apologies, then. I merely have bad experiences with your kind due to some more… violent members."

I sighed. "Lady Yasaka, we are of the same species. I merely have a different bloodline than you do. Please, do not discriminate solely on our destructive tendencies, many of us merely wish for peace."

She nodded, looking me up and down. "I see. And, may I ask, you said you only recently Ascended, yes?"

I nodded. "That is correct."

"How many tails did you begin with?" she asked, voice light.

A smile grew on my face, exposing my enlarged canines. "One."

She blinked, taken aback. "…I see."

The future shifted, evidencing her newfound respect for me. I picked another group of futures, noting their similarities, and continued. "I apologize for my small stature, but I age at a much slower rate due to my increased regeneration. I could force myself to age if I so wished, but I haven't seen any issues with my current form."

She smiled down at me. "Oh, no, it's fine. And, may I ask, how high _is_ your healing factor?"

I looked her dead in the eye, held out an arm, and ripped it off with the other. Ignoring the pain, I incinerated the previous arm with a combination of Time Pause and my Devil Magic. To her, it simply disintegrated. I waited a second or so, before drawing back the sleeve of my tracksuit to show my arm. It was rapidly reforming, the bones seeming to sprout from nothing as muscles and skin covered them. As the fingernails finally formed, I waved at her with the new hand. The whole thing took less than a second to complete.

I gave her a smug smirk. "This fast."

'… _That was TOTALLY EPIC!'_

' _ **We need to make that a thing,'**_ Instinct agreed, mad grin audible in his voice.

The woman seemed nonplussed by my impromptu demonstration. "That is… very impressive," she finally said, face smoothing to her previous regal mask.

' _Okay, so we impressed her, made her respect us, and proved that we can stand a chance against her in a fight.'_ I checked off my mental list, using my Sight once more. ' _All I have to do now is…'_

I pulled a slightly embarrassed expression. "My apologies for the grizzly demonstration. I hadn't realized it might cause you distress. I'm a fairly reclusive soul, and this is some of the first contact I've had in a long time. I was only in town visiting an old friend when I Saw ahead. You have my deepest apologies if my social graces are we are to have an alliance, I would concede to modern etiquette lessons should you deem them necessary."

Yasaka smiled kindly at me. "It's not a problem. I have a daughter around your physical age that would be more than happy to help you."

'… _Highlight my potential political usefulness,'_ I finished, mentally cheering. ' _An undecided asset with an incredible amount of power and a volatile mindset? Any competent leader would be foaming at the mouth. Now I can get her to jump through all the hoops I like while leading her by the nose. Just play the humble, innocent victim, and she'll do everything in her power to help the Nekoshou in order to call in a 'favor' at a later date.'_

I nodded. "Many thanks, Lady Yasaka. I would be happy to take you up on that." I smiled at her, and her eyes glazed over. "Now, if there's nothing else you need…"

She shook her head, snapping into focus. "No, but thank you. Worry not, I shall take care of your people in your absence. Feel free to check on them at any time."

I nodded once, turning and calling over my shoulder. "I will. Do take care, cousin."

And then, with a Step, I was back in the hall of Nekoshou. Kuroka jumped in surprise, but Rin just smiled brightly and threw her arms around me. "Master!"

I shifted awkwardly, waiting for her to let go. Hugs aren't exactly something I was used to.

' _ **Well, you'd better get used to them.'**_ Instinct's warped voice called in amusement. ' _ **Chicks love this sort of thing. It may be odd now…'**_ He grinned perversely. '… _ **but just wait until their 'bumpers' grow in!'**_

I rolled my eyes, ignoring my perverted Aspect and addressing my two companions. "We're going to be leaving soon. We can't stay here; it's too open. As soon as I talk to Shark, we'll be leaving."

Kuroka nodded, visibly relaxing. Rin just pouted, clinging tighter.

' _ **Heheheheheh.'**_

' _Fuck off.'_

' _ **I plan to.'**_

…Ignoring him, then.

I frowned in concentration, ignoring the increasing number of stares from the surrounding Nekoshou. I wasn't sure exactly how to get the attention of a Mind Mage, so I just tried to… well… think loudly, I guess. I had Instinct temporarily disable the Curse, so I knew he should be able to hear me.

' _OI! SHARK!'_

I caught sight of the large man in the corner of my eye as he flinched slightly and put a hand to his ear.

'… _Oh. Sorry. I wasn't sure…'_

He shook his head. Don't worry about it.

' _Okay, so I told her that I'm an old friend who was visiting when I Saw the massacre and decided to help. I Ascended using the power of lightning almost a month before, and I took care of the assholes without much problem. Think you can make a story with that?'_

He nodded imperceptibly, and I grinned. ' _Good. I'll be back in a month or so, just to check up on you lot. Be safe, brother.'_

He chuckled, turning away and making his way to the front of the room. As he opened his mouth to speak, I grabbed Kuroka and pulled up the long-distance transport spell I had snagged on our trip over. "Time to go!" I whispered to the surprised Nekoshou, who jerked at my sudden hold.

I shoved mana into the spell, and we disappeared without a trace.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hello, my people! Sorry this took so long, I was a bit busy with UtV. Long story short, I will be putting UtV on hold until I get far enough in this story because I've pretty much reached the point that going any further would lead to spoilers to this fic. NOT a permanent hiatus, in fact I have the next chapter already written. I just need to wait for this one to catch up.**

 **...And yes, I did shamelessly reference Trinity Seven and Shelter. I wanted to create a modern grimoire, so sue me.**

 **Until next time!**

 _B/N: Damn. We have animes of cat-girls, boat-girls, horse-girls, vacuum cleaner-girls, girls-in-a-bottle, now book-girls!_

 **Oh, and one more plot bunny that wouldn't leave me alone. Non-canon, but still valid.  
**

* * *

 **Omake: I think the Author is trolling me.**

* * *

"...And so, I think I'm developing a harem now." I finished tiredly. "Any help would be appreciated."

"Damn, kid." My landlord chuckled. "You sure know how to get into trouble. I can't say I'd be any help, but it sure is hilarious to hear."

I hung my head, not finding it in me to argue.

"Hey, kid." Von called, making me look up. "Does that Book of yours have any advice on girls?"

I pulled it out, and it returned to its' normal size. "Knowing the Author, it just might. Would you mind helping out, girl?"

The Book hummed to life, and it began flipping pages.

 _Appendix: General Advice and Guidelines._

 _Entry 4: Surviving Life for the Incompetent._

 _So you've finally talked to that one girl who you like, and she actually talked back! Your childhood friend who you haven't seen in ten years just moved back into town, and you're already getting along like she never left. Your little sister has taken to making lunches for you, and they taste better than anything you've ever eaten. I bet you're feeling pretty good about yourself right now. Well, stop. Because you've found yourself in a dangerous situation that has spelled disaster for many men across the globe. You are now the recipient of an unintended harem, and if you don't act quickly, it could destroy your life._

 _I know what you're thinking; " How could this possibly be a bad thing?" Dames chasing after me left and right? Who could be unhappy about that?" You could, because your life is now in a state of karmic imbalance. For every bit of fortune you experience with the opposite sex, you will find equal misfortune in everything else. You must prepare yourself for a string of disasters that could ruin your life, and enough accidental sexual assaults to start your own hashtag. By the way, you're going to want to take notes on this, because odds are you're pretty dumb, and in all honesty, just_ the worst.

 _Now that you're sufficiently aware of the danger, the standard advice for any disaster scenario applies; Don't panic. However, it is of even greater importance to a harem anime protagonist, because in the event that you do panic, it will result in you accidentally stripping or groping someone. The laws of physics themselves are now conspiring to get all of your female acquaintances naked whenever possible. I call it "The Universal Law of Ecchi". Anything that can be perverted will be perverted in the most embarrassing and/or mentally scarring way possible._

 _You must practice your balance, and maintain constant awareness of what's behind you, just in case someone accidentally bumps into you, and then you stumble forward five feet and somehow hook your fingers around your classmate's skirt while your face gets buried in her bosom. . . . and then also a second girl will trip, and her butt will land on your other open palm. You might think that you can just avoid this by never going outside, but if you do, all of the girls you know will come over to your house to see if you're okay._

 _One of them will arrive first, and the second one will arrive just in time to see you accidentally end up in a compromising position after you stumble while trying to get your guest some refreshments. This happens every time, without fail. And don't even consider asking your parents for help. They've already fucked off to Europe without a trace. You have no choice but to go about your daily routine as usual. Accidents will inevitably happen, but if you're careful then you can keep them to a minimum._

 _Remember your A - B - Cs; "Awareness," "Balance," and "Clenched Fists," because you can't accidentally strip or grope someone if your hand isn't open. Although this will result in you punching a lot of tits._

 _Now that you're practicing basic safety protocols, it's time for the most important step of all; Identifying Your Harem. Every harem is made up of" tropes," extremely strong traits that define a girl's entire personality. While it might seem like a sociological event, a harem is actually a weather pattern that naturally occurs when three or more of these tropes converge in a single room. These tropes will naturally gravitate toward the most boring person in the room, that's you, drawn to his total lack of personality like opposite poles of a magnet. Identifying which of these tropes have formed your harem is the key to your survival._

 _The first one you must be aware of is the "tsundere," a cold front that naturally becomes warmer over time. This shifting pattern is responsible for much of the chaos in a harem weather system, and in all observed instances, there is always at least one tsundere present. Scientists have theorized that it is possible for a harem to form without a tsundere, but this has never been observed in nature. The tsundere can be identified by her telltale catchphrase; "It's not like I did it for you or anything. B-baka!"._

 _If you upset the tsundere, remember, protect the head and neck. Your first instinct may be to guard your groin against her assault, but this is a mistake. You need to be prepared for a roundhouse kick, a suplex, or an uppercut that sends you flying until you're a little cartoon twinkle on the horizon. 95% of harem protagonists suffer some sort of brain damage in their first week as a result of the tsundere's "cute antics," and while this mostly just results in some degree of social or cognitive disability, causing subjects to exhibit an inability to read basic social cues, in extreme cases the consequences can be deadly._

 _Though not nearly as deadly as a harem with a "yandere" in it. A yandere is like a tornado, pleasant and calm when you're at the center of her world, but violent and destructive as soon as you try to leave it. You can identify the yandere by her slightly-too-sweet smile, and her insistence on always calling you some term of respect, even if she knows your real name. If you are unlucky enough to end up in this worst-case scenario, you have but one option. Run, and run fast. You will need to fake your death, move to a different country, preferably on a different continent, and assume a new identity there._

 _Fortunately, the yandere is a very rare occurrence in nature. Although because, as we have established, you are the worst, it is entirely possible that you could transform one of your other, less dangerous tropes into a yandere by being a total jackass. As such, it is vital that you know and understand what other forces are at play in your life. Here are the tropes you are most likely to encounter, ranked in order of potential danger._

 _First, there's the" sadodere," or" sadist," a girl who expresses her affection mainly by physically and emotionally abusing you. While this can be good fun in a controlled environment between consenting adults with a safe word, in day-to-day life it is likely to cause many problems for you. On her own she's an annoyance, but her tendency to lie and manipulate other people can dramatically amplify the typical dangers inherent in a harem system. Fortunately, the sadist is easy to identify by her behavior once she stops pretending to be nice, so once you're aware of her keep your distance, unless you're into that, and whenever another girl seems to be mad at you for no reason in particular, ask the sadist if she had anything to do with it, and wouldn't mind clearing things up if she did._

 _Then there's the "genki girl," or "deredere," always warm and sunny, but still a bit chaotic. You can typically identify this girl by her interest in some recreational activity, as well as her cheerful, adorable smile. This is the least dangerous of all the tropes, except in the vicinity of the tsundere, where her oblivious, good-natured affection will probably get you punched. Repeatedly. There's also a possibility that the deredere could secretly be a yandere, so watch out for telltale signs, such as use of the word "senpai," and the frequent disappearance of cats and other small animals in your neighbourhood._

 _Finally, the "kuudere," literally "cool dere," and "dandere" are both quiet and mostly stick to themselves. One out of detachment and lack of emotion, the other out of shyness. Both can be identified by their general lack of speech. When approached, a kuudere will respond cynically and pragmatically, while a dandere will typically blush and stammer. Neither poses any substantial threat, though it is advised that you check on the kuudere once per day just to make sure she's not dead._

 _There are further variation on these tropes that you may encounter, as well as rarely-occurring tropes such as the "kanedere," who wants your money, but it is highly unlikely that your harem will include any of these, and even if it does, they probably won't matter. By and large, 99% of harems consist of the tropes mentioned before with slightly different hair colors. Note that it is entirely possible that your younger sister will manifest one of these tropes, usually either the genki girl, the kuudere, or the tsundere. This used to be a very rare occurrence, but in the last decade it has become much more common, something many scientists are attributing to global climate change._

 _Now that you have properly identified your harem, you can plan your escape. Assuming you don't die or get arrested, this can end in one of two ways. Either the system achieves equilibrium and you are stuck in a perpetual loop of hijinks, surrounded by girls who won't actually have sex with you, or you pick one and spend the rest of your life with her. Because we all know that high school dating is the strongest, most lasting kind of romance. It is highly advised that you pursue the latter option, as attempting to sustain a harem in the long term dramatically increases the chance of death-by yandere._

 _So, unless you're a part of a race that encourages polygamy, to escape, you must pick a girl. This will be hard for you. If making up your mind was in your nature, you wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. But I promise you this: Realizing that you have feelings for someone and then telling them how you feel isn't rocket science. People do it literally every day. Some people multiple times in one day. But their lives are complicated. And if you don't want your life to be complicated, you need to stop wasting everyone's time and make up your fucking mind for once. If you need help, remember; the genki girl is usually best girl._

 _It is imperative that you actually, effectively convey how you feel, and don't let yourself get tricked into thinking that she rejected your confession due to a simple misunderstanding. Otherwise, you could be in for a series of increasingly ridiculous events as the harem system builds to a climax around you, and even if you weather the storm, there is a better-than-average chance that you will be in for another harem season if you don't manage to definitively lock that down._

 _If you complete all of these steps and are still rejected, then you have probably not weathered the harem long enough. Select a different girl, and try again in three to four weeks. And in the meantime, while you are weathering this storm, remember A - B - C: "Awareness," "Balance," and "Clenched Fists."_

I closed my eyes and took a deeeep breath. "I think the Author is fucking with me."

"How so?" Von asked, eyeing my red face in amusement.

"I found an entire Entry on harems." I said bluntly. "An… entire… _Entry_."

He raised an eyebrow. "If it's that bad, then why did you read the whole thing?"

"Because last time I read an entire Entry against my better judgement, I found a way to… never mind." I grumbled, shutting the Book. "I'm going to go slam my head against the wall until I forget that ever happened."

"You do that." Von agreed. "Just make sure you don't get bloodstains on my wall, you hear?"

* * *

 **…I have no excuse for what I have done. I just had to include this, it is too relevant to leave out. All credit to Mother's Basement and his holiness, the Anime Pope.**

 **REVIEWS:**

 **CrazyLich79:**

 **If you're talking about the Pukwudgies, then yes. I did deliberately misspell their speech.**

 **Guest curiosity:**

 **No, Rin will not be in Dee's harem. I have a plan for her, one that will be more than a little comedic in its' execution.**

 **Lezaroth:**

 **"I have no idea where that was going."**

 **Dude, that's most of my omakes. Please see the one above for a prime example.**

 **And Von has lived for ages upon ages. He's used to heroes facing impossible odds and returning alive. Those are a dime a dozen to him. But he's only had a few apprentices, and he loves to hear about new works they've created.**

 **SantoryuSekai:**

 **Dee will make his own skills in time, but he's trying to lay low for now. He's getting quite frustrated with how the universe seems determined to drag him into everything.**

 **Senjutsu being something the gods are afraid of is something I made up, but it makes no less sense. The level of power in the realm of the gods seems to be based on how old the deity is, and sages are basically calling on the power of the planet itself, something that predates every deity known to man. And to have any number of people able to use it? It's like having an ethnic group with the ability to summon kryptonite at will.**

 **I'll get into more detail in the future, but that's it for now.**

 **OmnipotentHeroPauk:**

 **The harem is aimed at around three people right now. I don't want to have the harem be too big, and Dee isn't the sort to give his heart to too many girls.**

 **And besides. I would never make a harem of nine girls. That would be painful to write, never mind try to make work in the story. I would be more likely to have three of them kill each other over various issues than to keep nine separate girls all in the same relationship with the same guy.**

 ***Shudder.***


	9. Aftermath

**Chapter 8: Aftermath**

* * *

I grimaced, recognizing the old shack that I had transported us into without a second thought. There were a lot of memories of this place I'd rather forget, but it was precisely because I had so many of this place that I could get here at all. The Eyes of Misery were a bit of a crutch when it came to new spells, but they allowed one to use emotion in lieu of practically anything else the spell might've called for. Rather useful.

Kuroka stumbled away from me as I released her, her sandals crunching in the crisp snow. Rin determinedly continued clinging to me, humming happily to herself as she nuzzled into my chest. I shifted uncomfortably from the unfamiliar sensation of physical contact but didn't comment. "Are you cold?" I asked Kuroka instead, seeing her shiver. Her black silk kimono couldn't have been too comfortable to wear in below zero degree weather.

She nodded uncomfortably, still shivering. Rin didn't fare much better. I sighed, drawing out more mana and casting an area of effect heating spell. The snow beneath our feet hissed and began to melt as it took effect, and both girls relaxed. Rin beamed up at me, eyes shining. "Thank you, Master. You're so kind to us."

There was something unfamiliar in her tone… adoration? Was that it? Well whatever it was, it made me distinctly uncomfortable once more. "You're welcome," I murmured, stepping away from the little Grimoire. "But, um, I'm going to have to leave for a bit."

Both girls stiffened, and I took a step back. From the looks on their faces, they would more likely to tackle me than to let me leave. "Look, we're going to be leaving Naskapi forever. I still need to grab some stuff and say goodbye to Von. If we just leave without supplies, we won't last a week before someone spots us and puts two and two together."

Kuroka frowned, conceding to my point, but Rin still didn't look convinced. "How do we know you'll come back?"

My lips twitched, and I activated my Mangekyō. "There. Now I'll always come back to this exact spot."

She blinked, confused. "Wha—"

I teleported away before I could get pulled into a long conversation. There was no future in which our conversation took less than a half an hour, and by then the city would be closed down so tightly that not even Blink Step would be able to get me out. No, it was best to leave now and deal with the shitstorm later. If anything went wrong, I could just go back to fix it.

 ** _'…Not the best attitude to have, there, King.'_**

 _'Why not? Am I wrong?'_

 ** _'No, but one day someone's going to figure a way around your little trick, and you'll be dead. The more times you use an ace, the more people know you have it.'_**

 _'…Fair enough.'_

After gathering my few worldly possessions, I stepped through the door of Von's smithy, glancing out into the alley. Sometimes, when Von was thinking hard about something, he came out here to smoke. He never so much as touched a cigarette otherwise, but he could smoke a whole pack when he got down to it.

And that was exactly what he was doing now.

I raised an eyebrow, stepping up behind him. "Those things are going to kill you, you know."

He didn't move. A plume of smoke drifted into the air as he exhaled. "You're back already," he rumbled. "I was expecting you to be gone for the next year, what with all the running and the screaming."

I chuckled. "I probably will be. It's only fair to say goodbye, though."

He finally turned around, a cigarette held lightly between his fingers. "Well, you've got all I can give you for a farewell. You forge almost as well as I do, so all you really need now is experience. Skill is all well and good, but you need practice. Lots and lots of practice." He fixed me with a stern look. "You gonna practice, kid?"

I nodded seriously. "Yessir. As much as it takes."

His face split into a craggy grin, and he reached down to ruffle my hair. "Good lad. You haven't surpassed me quite yet, so you're still my apprentice, you hear?"

I smiled up at him. "Yep. I hear you, loud and clear."

We stood in silence for a few seconds as Von took a long drag of his cigarette. Finally, I spoke once more. "I'll stop by when I can, but it's not safe here."

He shook his head in agreement. "Never is."

"I take it you won't be moving?" I asked wryly. "There's a nice place waiting for you in Kyoto if you want it. From what I here, they don't have people mugging one another outside your door all night."

He shook his head once more, but he seemed to have enjoyed my joke. "No, I've put too much stock into my trade to up and leave now. Too many paying customers, too many standing orders. Thanks for the offer, though."

I nodded. I could see where he was coming from. "Well, thanks for everything, then. I knew what you'd say, but I figured I'd stop by anyway."

He nodded, waving me off. "Take care, kid. Make sure to visit when you can." He paused, a smirk flickering across his face. "Oh, and make sure to wait until you're a teenager to fuck your girl."

I gave him a wide grin, ignoring the jab in favor of a riposte. "Which one?"

His eyes widened, and I disappeared before he could corner me into giving details.

 _'I'm so getting hell for that later.'_

I reappeared where I had left, in the snow by the old shack. Rin and Kuroka still stood within my sphere of warmth, but were wearing distinctly different clothing than I remembered them having. No more thin summer clothes - they were decked out in full winter gear, with fluffy coats, snowpants, and boots. As I watched, Kuroka pulled on a pair of gloves and helped Rin do the same.

I stepped forward, shifting their attention to me. Kuroka huffed and turned away, but Rin…

"Master! You're back!" she cheered, tackling me in a hug. Thankfully, her coat seemed to block most of the impact of the blow. "I missed you so much!"

I returned the hug, and Kuroka's cold expression warmed slightly. I was abruptly reminded that she was a big sister at heart, so spoiling Rin was worth its fair share of brownie points. "Hello, Rin. Did you have fun while I was gone?"

She shook her head emphatically. "Nope! I was too busy missing you." Her cheeks might've reddened slightly, but then again, it was cold out. "B-but don't worry! You're back now, so I'm fine!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Rin, I was gone for five minutes."

She puffed out her cheeks, glaring up at me. "I don't care, you still left me!"

"And what am I, chopped liver?" Kuroka asked drily.

Rin's eyes widened. "Oh, no, that's not it at all!" she gasped.

Kuroka sighed, wiping a mock tear from her eye. "And here I am, all alone. No little Rin hugging me. Sniff."

Rin detached herself from me, racing over and hugging Kuroka instead. "I'm sorry, Onee-sama! I just wanted to say hello to Master!"

 _'Adorable,'_ I choked.

 ** _'…Do you even have a working dick? I mean seriously, in four years those two will be the hottest pieces of tail in the Underworld. Can you imagine them doing that pose when they're three cup sizes bigger?'_**

 _'They're ten,'_ I deadpanned. _'Shut up.'_

Forcing my mind back to our current surroundings, I began to think. _'All right, so we're in the middle of nowhere with a bounty on our heads. I don't know jack shit about the Underworld other than how to talk to scumbags, and there's no way in hell I'm taking these two anywhere near a black alley broker. I have nothing other than a bunch of weapons I'd rather die than sell to some random schmuck and a bag of jerky that's definitely not from animals. Where can we go?'_

 ** _'…You do realize that those girls aren't just mantle pieces, right? They've been living with a Lord of Hell for the past year or more.'_**

I blinked. _'First, thanks. Second, I thought you were a misogynist. What the hell?'_

 ** _'I don't disrespect women, I just have a healthy respect for what they do to my dick. That goes both ways, you know. A chick can just as easily fuck me as crush my nads.'_**

I winced slightly. Point taken. "Girls? Do you know anywhere we can go?"

Kuroka frowned, her cheerful smile falling as she returned to reality. "Right. Where are we now?"

I smiled mirthlessly. "About a thousand miles from any civilization, and about fifty feet from Tartarus."

She blinked. "Wait, _what_?"

I gestured to the run-down hovel. "There's a door in there that leads to Chronos's throne room."

She paled, taking a step back and tugging Rin along with her. "We have to get out of here, _now_."

I casually brushed her off. "It's fine, Kuroka."

She whirled, eyes flashing. "No, it's _not_. I don't care where you fucked off to for the past year, but I've been training my ass off. And let me tell you right now, _we will not survive_ if Chronos decides to kill us. He has a power that allows him to stop time for any being with less power than himself, and none of us could even get close enough to _touch_ him. So unless you've got some magic superpowers under your belt, _we're leaving_."

I fought down a reflexive snicker. I know my best friend well enough to tell that she wouldn't appreciate it if I started laughing. "Magic time stop powers, right?" I asked casually.

She nodded seriously. "I found an entire book about people who tried to beat him. It took over two decades straight of careful planning and execution to even slip a mild sleeping potion into his drink the first time, and we have neither the time or means to do the same."

I couldn't restrain my smile for much longer, and it began to creep across my face. "Time stop powers," I repeated. I was pushing it at this point, but it'd be so worth once I got to see her expression.

"Yes!" she snapped irritably. I could feel her anger and impatience building to a crescendo. "Time stop powers."

"Time stop powers…" I tilted my head, and flexed a mental muscle. "…like this?"

The world froze. The falling snow halted in midair, trees freezing in place as each leaf ceased its movement. I took a step back, adopting the most innocent look I possessed. Kuroka blinked, mouth dropping open as her eyes went comically wide. As if testing her surroundings, she tentatively reached out and touched a snowflake. It melted on her finger, turning into a small droplet of water. Rin bounced excitedly, eyes wide and excited. "This is so cool!" she squealed.

Kuroka stared at the drop of water on her fingertip for a moment longer, before wheeling onto me, grabbing onto my shirt forcibly. "How did you do this?" she demanded. "This isn't some low-level parlor trick. What did you do?"

I pretended to consider that for a moment. "Let's just say that 'where I fucked off to for the past year' happened to be a collapsed mineshaft. In which my best friend died, by the way. I literally had to walk through Hell to even get _close_ to the surface, and even then, the only remaining path was through FUCKING TARTARUS." I practically shouted the words through gritted teeth, my voice echoing through the soundless void. "I fucking DIED more times than I can COUNT. I had to fight CHRONOS. You know, the fucking TITAN of TIME? I fought him, got my ass handed to me, and kept going. I kept fighting and fighting, moving and moving, until I finally killed the fucker. THAT is where I fucked off to for the past year."

Silence fell. Kuroka simply stared at me, eyes wide and mouth opening and closing soundlessly. "Look," I eventually murmured. "I have been through a _lot_ of shit. I got my brain boiled by spider venom, I drank water made out of fire, and I fought an ogre strong enough to grind your skinny ass into paste. That's not even _counting_ all the times I died _getting_ to that point."

Kuroka continued to stare at me, finally closing her mouth. Rin looked slightly nervous, shrinking into herself as if the slightest movement would bring my wrath upon her. I dropped Time Pause, rubbing my eyes and ignoring the feeling of snowflakes against my skin. "I have seen some shit, Kuroka. Shit you wouldn't believe. So please, don't just assume I was a lazy douchebag while you were enduring the worst life had to offer."

"…I'm sorry," she finally whispered. "I didn't…"

I interrupted her before she could finish. "No. You didn't. Now let's get out of here. Do you know anywhere, or am I figuring this out on my own?"

Kuroka mutely shook her head. Rin glanced between us for a few seconds, then hesitantly spoke up. "I-I could make us somewhere." she offered.

I blinked, turning to stare at her. She flinched back, tapping two of her fingers together. "I-I mean, I could draw us somewhere if you wanted me to. I don't have much mana, so it wouldn't be that good, but…"

"Draw us somewhere?" I repeated. "How so?"

She held up the small pane of glass, perking up slightly. "Like this!" She tapped the screen, and a small stylus materialized. Lightly poking out her tongue in concentration, she began drawing a small tree. Instantly, a flicker of light appeared to our right and a tree began growing in the exact shape she had detailed. I watched in amazement and then mentally kicked myself.

 _'…I'm a fucking moron. The Author is a master of Space, and he put a shitload of miscellaneous spells in there. Grimoires shape to their creator's wishes, and Kuroka and I just wanted her to be herself. If she likes drawing, then she could do a frankly insane number of things with that alone. She said she didn't have much mana, so drawing probably takes a lot out of her.'_ I smirked. _'For_ Kuroka's _mana pool, that is. She still acknowledges me as her master, so she was likely 'designed' with me in mind. Kuroka's pool is an eighth of what mine was when I was human, and since I don't know Senjutsu, Rin wouldn't be able to run on Nature Energy.'_

"Hey, Rin," I began, keeping my voice calm so as to not spook the poor girl. "If you had enough mana to level Kyoto… how much could you draw?"

Rin's worried face instantly lit up.

* * *

"…That's a lot of drawing," I muttered, staring up at the Victorian-era castle before us.

Rin's enthusiasm radiated from her like the sun. "Isn't it cool? I designed the parapets myself, and all the doors have this awesome thing above them that shoots lasers at anything that's not supposed to be there!"

I felt my mouth open and close several times. "…You know, I'm fine with the castle. I can accept the castle. But the _entire fucking mountain_?"

Rin beamed. "Isn't it huge? I drew it myself, and there's this cave system full of traps and treasure and a mechanical Dragon—"

Kuroka covered her mouth before she could keep going. "Rin, half of those things could easily kill us," she reminded the little Grimoire gently, removing her hand.

Rin's eyes widened, before tears began gathering at the corners. "O-oh, no! I didn't think of that!" she turned, throwing her arms around me and burying her face I my chest. "I'm sorry, Master! I'll get rid of the nasty traps immediately!"

I awkwardly patted her on the head, making her perk up immediately. I could almost imagine a tail wagging back and forth behind her as she leaned into my hand.

 _'She's like a puppy,'_ I decided in amusement. _'A puppy raised by a cat-girl.'_

 ** _'Well, right now she's nothing much, but maybe you could start training her to lick. Or, better, to fetch.'_**

 _'…I get the sense that you want her to fetch something besides tennis balls.'_

 ** _'Oh, no, you start her on tennis balls. Then you work your way up to panties.'_**

 _'…How are you even a part of me?'_

 ** _'Buddy, I ask myself that same question about you every day.'_**

 _'But seriously, I'm_ ten _! I should not have a part of me that's already trying to train a girl to fetch panties for me!'_

 ** _'King, you walk, talk and act like you're fifteen. Hell, if I didn't know you, I'd guess that you_ were _fifteen. How do you think you managed to convince the Kitsune that you were several times your age?'_**

 _'…Huh. I guess I never thought of it like that. I just had to grow up fast after my parents died, otherwise I'd be screwed. Possibly literally.'_

 ** _'Well yes, that and you're naturally a few years ahead of your peers mentally. Carn wasn't slow, you were just really fast.'_**

 _'Fair enough, I suppose.'_

I turned back to the castle. "So… can you create absolutely anything you draw?"

She nodded cheerfully. "Yep! As long as I have the mana, I can create anything I want! It was originally a technique by my father called Graduation Air, which transformed nitrogen in the air into something else. I use a forbidden version of it called Tracing."

I raised an eyebrow. "How is it forbidden?"

She frowned, considering, then shook her head. "I can't tell you."

 _'…All right, then.'_ "How long do the drawings last?" I asked instead, my Sight not giving me a definitive answer as I tried to See when the castle would deconstruct itself.

She smiled brightly. "Oh, forever. Or, at least, until I delete them. According to my father, the main issue with Tracing was that the World constantly tried to correct the 'error,' driving the mana cost waaay higher and making the constructs imperfect. But since this world is still in the Age of the Gods, the World simply accepts what is Traced as reality without interference."

I blinked. "Wait, so you just… draw whatever you want, and it appears?"

"As long as I know how to make it," she agreed. "If I don't know how to make a gold atom, then I can't make gold. If I don't know how a gun works, all I can draw is a hunk of metal shaped like a gun. Graduation Air is literally just transmuting nitrogen atoms into something else, so I have to know what I'm creating in order to create it."

I nodded slowly. As much as she appeared to be an adorably dumb puppy, she was ultimately a Book created by a madman of unparalleled intelligence. For all intents and purposes, her 'father' was a genius that passed his mind down to his daughter. I remembered skimming some of the more complex molecular science, but I didn't understand any of it. If Rin could understand everything the Author had written about… well. I guess her personality was the only puppy-like thing about her.

But if she was _right_ …

I reached into my Gem, pulling out my sole remaining Hrunting. "Do you think you could draw this?"

She picked it up, the long arrow comically large when held by the tiny girl. She concentrated, and an invisible pulse of mana rippled through the twisted metal. She handed back the arrow, pulled her stylus from behind her ear, and began sketching. Beside her, a perfect replica of Hrunting formed in the air, falling to the ground as she lifted the pen. "There!" she cheered, throwing her hand into the air. "Victory!"

 _'…I feel like a complete dumbass,'_ I decided, staring at the new weapon. _'Is this what Archer used? No wonder he could throw those weapons infinitely.'_

"Out of curiosity…" I began, turning back to the cheerful Grimoire, "…how many of these can you make?"

Her smile widened. "Here!" she tapped the screen, tapped a small icon, and dragged the pen across the screen. Another Hrunting appeared, an exact duplicate of the first. Another appeared, and another, and so on until there were a large stack of roughly fifty of them. She didn't seem the least bit winded from the incredible strain creating the weapons must have caused.

"Am I useful, Master?" she asked excitedly, her chocolate-brown eyes glowing.

I smiled at her, reaching out and patting her on the head once more. "Yes, you are. Good job, Rin."

I watched in amusement as she returned to puppy mode, excitedly bouncing around and chattering about the details of her design. I didn't have the heart to stop her, so I waited until she slowed down a bit to ask my next question.

"Isn't it hard to duplicate those so many times?" I asked hesitantly, taking advantage of the opening as she paused to breathe. "I mean, if you have to generate them molecule by molecule…"

She shook her head, the bow on the back of her head swaying back and forth. "No, I'm just the personality of the Grimoire. The interface. Most of the calculation happens in the main body of the Book." She tilted her head, doing some quick maths. "I estimate that I only have about two percent of the Grimoire's overall calculation ability. The tablet I use is my link to the mainframe, which has no mind of its' own. I can _direct_ it, but I can't really _use_ it."

I nodded slowly. "So you're the interface to a cosmically powerful magic-based supercomputer."

She nodded cheerfully. "Yep!"

"…Are all Grimoires like you?" I asked, genuinely concerned. If every moron with a Grimoire could create an infinite flow of resources, then I'd be shocked that the world lasted this long before someone decided to copy a shitload of TNT to blow the planet to kingdom come.

She shook her head vigorously. "Nope! All Grimoires are completely unique! All of my sisters have completely different powers than I, and they're all waaay different!"

That statement was simultaneously extremely worrying and relieving. "Your sisters?"

She nodded. "Yep! I have three of them, and two are twins!"

Definitely worrying, then. "Can you tell me about them?"

She smiled. "Oh, yes! Father wrote them as the same Book, but then he split them in two so they didn't get too powerful."

…The sad part was, I could totally see the Author accidentally creating a world-destroying Grimoire, splitting it in two, and setting it on the unsuspecting population just for shits and giggles.

"Rikki is a lot like me, and has more emotion than power. Tikki is the opposite, and she can't feel many emotions. She's really strong, though. They can create objects that have superpowers. Like this pen that heats food, or a key that opens any door into a subspace."

There was something disturbingly familiar about that description, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. "And the third sister?"

She screwed up her face. "We don't talk about Kuroyukihime-nee. She's really strict and doesn't let us have any fun. She has video game powers, though, so she's really strong."

 _'So, tally here. The Author has unintentionally created three separate Grimoires, one with control over creation, one with the ability to make impossible magic objects, and the last with, quote, 'video game powers'. All of which are extremely dangerous, and quite possibly insane.'_ "Where are they now?" I asked, trying to avoid a full-on panic.

"The twins are sleeping somewhere hidden, and Hime is with Father still," she replied instantly. "I don't know where they are, though."

 _'…That's both good news and bad news. Good news is, I don't have to worry about them yet. Bad news is, I might in the future.'_ I sighed. _'Silver lining, at least I know the Author isn't dead.'_

I turned and began walking towards the doors of the castle. Rin skipped alongside me, and Kuroka followed silently from a distance. She hadn't spoken for the entire conversation, and I wasn't about to strike up another. Every future in which I tried talking to her ended with her leaving in a huff, so silence was preferable.

I pushed open the grand double doors of my new base, glancing around at the plush décor and marble pillars. The air was warm, and I heard several different fires burning in different parts of the castle. A marble staircase led up to the second floor, and there were several different doors leading to various rooms. I glanced over at Rin, who was once again bouncing with excitement. "I have to show you around!" she squealed, rushing for the first door on our left. "See, this is the kitchen…"

The tour lasted a good hour as Rin dragged us up all six floors of the castle, showing off each room in great detail. I was honestly impressed by how well thought-out each room was, right down to the pipes holding running water and the fires being made of Alchemical flames that didn't need to burn wood. And she drew it all in _five minutes_.

The last floor, to her great excitement, was our bedroom. I don't mean multiple bedrooms on the same floor, I mean _the entire floor_. There was everything from a walk-in closet to a polished dresser. The bed was a large four-poster monstrosity that I suspected could hold an elephant, and the entire ceiling and the top half of all four walls were made of glass so one could look up at the stars as they slept. It was incredible, with detail so fine one would think the place was built by an expert craftsman.

My problem wasn't in the details, or lack of more than a single bathroom for the three of us. No, my problem with the room was that it was _bright pink_. Pink walls, pink bed, pink carpet, pink _everything_. Knowing Rin, I knew that if I looked into the bathroom, I would be greeted by the sight of a pink toilet and bathtub as well.

Kuroka, bless her heart, seemed to have the same misgivings as I did. "Um, Rin? Do you remember what I told you about too much pink?"

The little girl flushed. "Um… that it's awesome?" she ventured, a guilty look on her face.

"No, I said that too much pink is painful to look at," Kuroka corrected. "Which is the case here. Can you please tone it down a bit? Maybe have a forest theme?"

Rin's disappointment vanished at the words 'forest theme'. "Ooh, ooh! I know what to do! Here, go downstairs. I need to redesign!"

Kuroka and I were shooed down two floors and into a grand living room as Rin 'redesigned' the entire castle. Neither of us could bring ourselves to ruin her enthusiasm as she chattered about her 'plans,' so we didn't object as she locked us in together.

Alone. Together. While we were ignoring each other.

"Clever girl," I murmured.

Kuroka sighed. "Get used to it, she's always like this. If there's something she wants, she uses outside factors to make other people think it was their idea."

My lips twitched. "As long as she doesn't start talking like the Author does, I can deal with it."

She snorted. "No, she's too puppy-like to deliberately insult someone."

"So it isn't just me." I laughed. "I swear I saw a tail wagging whenever I patted her on the head."

Her lips twitched upwards in a small smile. "Yeah, she's pretty much a puppy. Unlimited energy, loves people, extremely loyal—" She cut herself off abruptly and looked away. "Even to people that don't deserve it."

 _'…All right, I'm lost. Is she talking about me or herself?'_

 ** _'Both, probably. You treated the Book like your own personal treasure, and Kuroka probably started falling for your sorry ass a year or two ago. From the sound of it, up and disappearing like you did tore a hole in both their hearts.'_**

I groaned internally, standing and moving over to the couch where she sat. I tried to think back, grasping for the fuzzy memories of when we first met. "So… care to tell me what you were doing in that alley?" I tried.

Her lips twitched at the reminder of times gone by. "Things."

We both sat in silence for a few more minutes as I tried to figure out what was going on inside her head. She hadn't actually made any solid decisions, yet, so the future was in flux, but I could still glimpse bits and pieces of what she wanted to say.

I opened my mouth, trying to phrase my words correctly. "Kuroka… I never forgot you."

The girl stiffened, turning to glare at me. "I told you not to—"

"I don't need to see the future to know you're hurting," I interrupted quietly, shaking my head. "You said that loud and clear before. I just wanted to let you know that you're one of the reasons that I survived that hellhole. I couldn't give up, not knowing you were waiting for me up here."

All the anger in her expression drained away, replaced by shy affection. Her tail twitched slightly at my words. "O-oh. I see." She shifted, face hopeful. "And what about me did you remember?"

"Everything." I leaned back, my gaze wandering to the ceiling. "I remember how you loved to read while I looked into the future. Earl grey tea, three cubes of sugar and a dash of honey. I remember how you breathe softly when you sleep, and you could never quite get comfortable unless you had someone to wrap your arms around." I grinned. "I remember how you hate to get dirty, even though your sister loved playing in the dirt. How you'd always scold her, even though you didn't mean anything by it, and she'd just smile and laugh at you. I remember how you loved my cooking, even though you pretended not to."

I chanced a glance at her, only to see her looking away shyly while playing with a strand of her hair. "I remember how you loved having me brush your hair, how you loved the feeling of my hands running through it even more. I remember the first time you sat on my lap, how you blushed as red as a tomato even though I wasn't doing anything but petting you."

She smiled, face still red. "That's a lot to remember," she teased lightly.

"Everything," I reminded her. "I remember everything. It's what kept me going when all hope seemed lost."

Her smile faded. She swung her legs over mine and slid onto my lap, nuzzling into my chest. I didn't stop her, knowing she wanted comfort but hated to say the words. Soon I was stroking her head, her adorable ears soft under my calloused hands. She sighed softly, relaxing into my embrace. "I love you, Dee."

I didn't say anything, uncertain of what to do. 'Love' is a concept that I hadn't had much experience with, something I doubted I even deserved after all I had done. But this little cat was more than happy to let me hold her, and I doubted she cared whether or not I wanted her to love me. That was the thing about Kuroka—she didn't care what walls you had built up. She'd push through them with a mixture of determination and affection that you couldn't help but accept.

So in the end I just nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Kuroka was my best friend, and nothing would change that. Right now we were both young, and I could hardly make any decisions before I'd even try.

 ** _'…Do you think you could get some tongue in there, too? Maybe even aim for the lips next time instead of wussing out.'_**

 _'God fucking dammit, Instinct. I was having a moment there.'_

 ** _'You were. And then I ruined it.'_**

 _'Dick.'_

 ** _'Pansy.'_**

 _'At least I've kissed a girl.'_

 ** _'…Are we really doing this right now? Are you really going to ignore the chick who's probably already planning your wedding?'_**

I elected not to respond. Kuroka eventually sat up again, turning to look at me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Done now?"

She giggled, a sound I wasn't used to hearing from her. "Not by a long shot." She pressed her forehead against mine, a low hum emanating from her chest. My mouth tugged into a grin as I realized she was purring.

I held the purring Nekoshou for a time, stroking her head and watching as her tail twitched softly. My Sight stretched forward as I waited, and my Clairvoyance let me know that Rin had returned and was listening at the door.

"So what now?" Kuroka finally murmured.

"How so?" I asked, ignoring our eavesdropper for the moment.

"Where do we go from here?"

I blinked. "Well, for one thing, I need to figure out my powers. You need to make sure your sister is safe, too. That's about all I have at the moment. We can make the rest up as we go along."

She nodded. "All right. I can live with that." Her smile flickered, and her expression became nervous. "And…" She flushed once more. "Um… just so things don't get awkward later… I don't _just_ like guys."

My lips twitched. "Kuroka, are you telling me that you're bisexual?"

She flushed a deeper red, glancing away. "U-um, yes? I-I mean, I like Rin as more than a friend, and if she was hurting…"

I smiled, ruffling her hair. "Don't worry about that right now. If Rin decides she likes you enough to want something more, then go right ahead. But you shouldn't press her into something she doesn't want."

She stared at me for a few seconds. "So… you're not going to call me disgusting, or throw things at me?"

 _'If anything, you should be the one doing that to me.'_ I thought grimly, smile flickering. "No, why would I?"

She gritted her teeth. "Homosexuality is the biggest issue in the whole damn Underworld! How the hell is that not something you're worried about? _I just told you that Rin is attractive to me!_ "

"Harems and bisexuality are accepted by the Underworld as long as the female in question is also involved with a male," I countered easily. "Even if you had no interest in me at all, I'd still let you say you were my girlfriend just so you could date Rin in peace. You're my best friend, Kuroka. Besides…" I grinned. "Dating a bisexual girl is pretty much any guy's dream."

"How are you taking all this so damn calmly!" she finally snapped, irritation flashing in her eyes. "Yell, get mad, do something! I just insulted you not fifteen minutes ago, and you just stood there and took it! I don't know what changed in the past year, but you didn't used to be this _calm_ about everything!"

This was the exact conversation I had wanted to delay having, but it was only fair that I gave them a full explanation of what I had done. Sooner or later, I'd have to face it. "I… I'll tell you about that in a minute. I've been through a lot of shit, like I said. I'm not exactly… human anymore. Or even alive, really. I'm technically an undead, but I never _died_ , so that's kind of sketchy. Let's get Rin in here, and I'll tell the whole story."

She glanced at the door, shifting as if about to get up. "I'll go get her."

I said nothing as I sensed Rin begin to move away from the door. If I forced Rin to take action before she was sure of what she wanted to do, she might end up making a choice she wasn't happy with. But at least she'd know she'll be accepted no matter what the decision.

Kuroka returned with a blushing Rin in tow, looking slightly confused. Rin seemed intent on finding anything other than us to look at, which was rather amusing. "Did something happen while you were out?" I asked Kuroka.

Kuroka shook her head, still looking confused. "No, but she can't seem to speak intelligibly."

I fought back another smile. "That's odd." I looked directly at Rin, emphasizing my next words. "I could've sworn she could understand perfectly."

Rin's head snapped up in surprise, and I winked slyly at her. Kuroka, oblivious, snorted. "She understands just about everything except the word 'no.' She's persistent like that."

Rin, still flushed, gave me a small nod, and looked away once more. I smiled softly. "Well, we can figure that out later, then. For now, there's a few things about me that you might want to know…"

* * *

Rin stopped paying attention after the third word of my sordid tale, but Kuroka hung on my every word as I described what I had done in the time since we had last met. She turned very, very pale at parts, but to her credit, she didn't breathe a word.

"So you eat people." Rin yawned sleepily, leaning against my side. "That's nice. Can we go to bed, now? I'm tired."

…You know, I was starting to think that Rin wasn't entirely sane. I seemed to remember her calling everyone but Kuroka and I 'uncultured swine', and from what I knew of Grimoires, they only developed moral codes during the first few months of their lives. And if Kuroka was the only one teaching her right from wrong…

"Do people taste good?" Kuroka asked, seeming genuinely curious.

 _'…It seems that I have a bigger problem than I thought.'_

I grimaced slightly. "They taste kind of like veal, really. The lungs taste like pork. But I don't think you should try it; it might mess with your Senjutsu."

She nodded slowly. "Pity. I was hoping I finally found a use for the useless morons this world is populated with."

I sweatdropped. Kuroka… didn't have the highest opinion of humanity. I blame her upbringing for that.

 ** _'King. You hesitated for all of a second before eating the Devil in that cave. You only cared for Carn, and didn't give a shit about the other guy. I'm a monster, you're a monster, they're monsters. Big whoop. If you didn't pick these two, they'd probably end up as terrorists or some shit.'_**

 _'Well, yes, but what if I made it worse? I accepted that I was a monster and gave up on my humanity about the time I finished eating Carn. Didn't make it any easier, but since I was going to hell anyway, I wasn't going down without a fight. They're both decent people, and they really deserve better than eternal damnation.'_

 ** _'You know, if you hadn't Aspected yourself, you wouldn't be having these concerns. You already would've marked both of these bitches as your own, and in five years they would've been faithfully serving your cock twenty-four seven.'_**

 _'…I'm slightly disturbed by where your mind went with that.'_

 ** _'We're the same person, dumbass.'_**

 _'Oh? Then where did the idea of Kuroka being a terrorist come from?'_

 ** _'I'm telling you, I have awesome future sight powers.'_**

 _'Bullshit. There's no way_ Kuroka _of all people would become a terrorist. Rin might have zero morals without us, but Kuroka knows better than to do something as stupid as joining a terrorist cell.'_

* * *

 **I** n a fading possible timeline, Kuroka sneezed. Not surprising, considering she was as naked as the day she was born.

"Kuroka," an irritated voice called from beneath her. "Put some damn clothes on. I'm not having sex with you."

She smirked. "Oh? Don't be so sure~nya."

 **{DIVINE DIVIDING: BALANCE BREAKER!}**

"Nyaaaa!"

* * *

 ** _'…I wouldn't be so sure about that.'_**

I rolled my eyes, feeling Kuroka butt her head lightly against my chest like an affectionate cat. "Kuroka, you wouldn't happen to be joining any terrorist cells, would you?"

She gave me a puzzled look. "What? No, of course not." She perked up. "Are we going to be joining one? That sounds fun."

 _'…Shut up.'_

 ** _'Saying nothing_ ~ _'_**

I sighed, shaking my head. "No, not if we can help it. I'd rather just live in peace, thank you very much."

She tilted her head, confusion etched in her brow. "Really? So we're just going to be sitting here for the rest of our lives?"

I snorted. "Hell no. I'm going to be getting as much power as I possibly can. I'd just rather not get killed for it. Power attracts attention, and that's something that never ends well for me."

She giggled, a soft purr rumbling in her chest as she leaned against me. "See, that's the Dee I remember." She paused, looking up and giving me a stern look. "But once you get really strong, I want you to give me lots of kittens."

Rin's eyes lit up. "Kittens?"

Kuroka nodded happily. "Yep~ Little kittens to raise, all for myself."

Rin gasped. "Me too! It'll be just like we planned, Kuroka-nee! We'll both have children and raise them together!"

 _'…I'm confused. Does she mean them both sharing the same guy, or having two different guys and just sharing kids?'_

 ** _'Let me spell it out for you, then. THEY WANT THE D.'_**

 _'Well no shit. I just don't know if Rin knows we're talking about_ children _or not.'_

"It'll be just like we planned, Kuro-nee!" Rin babbled excitedly. "We'll both have lots of kids and raise them together!"

 ** _'I dunno, that seems pretty clear to me.'_**

 _'Dick.'_

 ** _'That's the idea, yes.'_**

 _'Fuck you. We're TEN. There's no way in HELL I'm fucking them. I'm not even in a relationship yet, and that's something I'm definitely not ready for.'_

 ** _'Well not YET…'_**

 _'I'm not getting them pregnant until we're at least twenty. I am NOT mentally equipped to be a father.'_

 ** _'Well, duh. That's what contraceptives are for.'_**

 _'I'm just… no. I'm not having this conversation now. I doubt either of them have even had The Talk yet.'_

 ** _'Then give it to them. I mean, you learned it from an ogre who was vocally supportive of rape, so you'd have to try_ really _hard to make it worse than that.'_**

 _'Point.'_

I patted Rin's head, making her lean against me. Time to change the subject. "So… any questions?"

Rin perked up. "Oh, me! Do you really see stats and stuff?"

I frowned, tilting my head. "Well… yes and no. It's like being able to sense power levels, only with numbers instead of feelings. I can tell generally how good something is, but it's only really good for gathering information."

Kuroka frowned at me. "You got that power-up… how, exactly?"

I sighed. "Kuroka, I was literally starving to death not five days before I met that spider. As far as I knew, the spider was an ordinary person and I was just out of my mind. So yes, when the spider talked to me, I talked back. When it offered help, I accepted it. It was a dumb move, yes, but it was only because of Spider's Eyes that I managed to avoid the worst parts of Tartarus."

Her irate expression flickered as she seemed to realize for the first time that a spider was probably the least dangerous thing there. "I see," she muttered, several dozen emotions flitting across her face.

"You're not charging into Tartarus to kill a fucking spider." I deadpanned, seeing what she was about to say. "Besides, Arachne is one of the most reasonable beings in Tartarus, since she used to be human. She's who I got my clothes from on my longer runs."

"She hurt you, though," Kuroka practically growled.

I blinked. _'Jesus, mood swings much? Ten seconds ago she was telling me off for doing something stupid.'_

 ** _'Ten seconds ago, she saw the giant spider as a brainless monster. And then you called it a she.'_**

 _'So?'_

 ** _'You said that her bio told you she saw you as her Mate, right?'_**

I was beginning to catch on. _'So you think she's jealous?'_

 ** _'Think? King, every goddamn Nekoshou in existence is a fucking yandere! You're just lucky she's so obsessed with you, otherwise she might start trying to kill you for 'being unfaithful' or 'betraying her love'.'_**

 _'Oh shit. Are you serious?'_

 ** _'Deadly. Don't you remember that conversation we had with Von after you asked why there are more female Nekoshou than males?'_**

 _'…Please don't tell me you're telling me what I think you are.'_

 ** _'Don't worry, you'll be fine as long as you don't ignore her. She was the one to come up with the 'harem' idea, so you're safe from any jealousy there. Her mom was one of the tamer yanderes, the ones who get obsessed rather than jealous.'_**

 _'Please explain a bit more about that. What do you mean 'the tamer yanderes'?'_

 ** _'Wait, seriously? You don't remember any of this? You avoided Kuroka for a whole week after hearing it for the first time.'_**

 _'Nope, it's all new to me. Maybe Aspecting did something to our memories?'_

 ** _'I dunno.'_** I could almost see the albino version of myself shrug. **_'Well, whatever it is… *ahem*.'_** He audibly took a deep breath, and began. ** _'Nekoshou are better than any other Nekomata at using Senjutsu, due to their ability to store and process more Chakra at once. That makes them incredibly powerful, but it also makes them more susceptible to the malintent from the power they wield. It's too minor to do any damage, but it gives them all some… darker… tendencies. The males tend to have incredible, hair-trigger tempers, and the females give in to their darker instincts. They're designed to seek out and keep a mate, so when they hit puberty with a mass of corruption sitting inside their coils… well. It's not pretty.'_**

 _'I can imagine,'_ I remarked drily.

 ** _'You don't have to. Well, anyway, the females are some mix of two broad types. Von called them 'yan' and 'dere'. The 'yan' Nekoshou violently dismember anyone who they see as a threat to their love, up to and including the person they're in love with. The 'dere' Nekoshou become incredibly.'_ **He paused, emphasizing the word. **_'_ Incredibly _, ridiculously, irrefutably,_ obsessed _with their love interest. Kuroka's mom mindlessly pursued her father even after it became clear he wanted nothing to do with her. A yan would've started killing people to get him to notice her, but Fujimai instead showed up in his room and fucked his brains out. Once she got pregnant, she practically forced her 'true love' into marriage.'_**

I glanced at the frowning Nekoshou on my lap. Would she really…?

 _"I'll do anything for you, Dee." She told me, smiling happily. "_ **Anything** _."_

…Yeah, I could totally picture that. _'So what she's like right now is tame compared to what I'm going to face in the future?'_

 ** _'King, the bitch be crazy. Her bio literally told you that Vassago twisted her mind until she wanted you more than anything in the world. After she hits puberty, she ain't going more than two feet from you for the rest of her life.'_**

I groaned, rubbing my eyes. _'Okay, then. One clingy, apparently masochistic catgirl who wants my dick. Anything you can tell me about Rin? Do Grimoires go on murderous rampages, too?'_

 ** _'Not normally, but they tend to become whatever their owner wants the most as they mature. Kuroka was her owner during her 'infant' period, so… chances are she's both extremely loyal and extremely bisexual because Kuroka wanted a lover who would never leave her. That doesn't actually translate to anything, though. If I'm reading their emotions right, Rin sees Kuroka as more of a big sister than anything. But the fact remains…'_** He paused, grinning. **_'She's gonna be a bombshell once she hits puberty, especially if she finds someone she 'likes'. She'll become everything they want her to be… every curve, every nuance, every quirk.'_**

 _'…So is she going to be killing people or not?'_

 ** _'Oh, yeah, definitely. She sees everyone but you and Kuroka as worthless pieces of trash not worthy to stain your shoes.'_**

 _'Fuck. I'm in a house full of yanderes. Why does this shit always happen to me?'_

 ** _'Are you kidding me? This is gonna be_ so hot _…'_**

I grimaced, shaking my head and dismissing Thought Acceleration. Time to shut him out. "Kuroka, I'm not even remotely attracted to the creepy spider lady. I have to have some pretty powerful feelings about something in order to bypass the Curse of the Wendigo, anyway."

She glared at me for a moment, before looking away and grumbling about cheating Diviners.

"So what exactly _is_ a Wendigo?" Rin asked curiously. "Father never wrote anything about them, and any mentions of cannibalism are visibly absent."

I smiled darkly. "For very good reason, too. Wendigos are mindless killing machines that exist to sow despair and grief. The change from human to monster affect one's mind, body, and magic. Spider's Eyes called the three parts of the change 'Curse of the Wendigo,' 'Wendigo's Endless Hunger,' and 'Wendigo's Freezing Chill.' The Curse removes all mental inhibitions, and from what I can gather, Wendigo's Endless Hunger makes the Wendigo permanently starving. Fortunately, I've been fucked over by fate so many times that my Legacy literally revolves around surviving, so I was unaffected by the hunger because I spent so long resisting it while trapped in the cave. If I had been turned next to a city, with nothing in my way, I have no doubt that I would've snapped and killed an entire city block."

Rin's eyes were wide, and Kuroka looked worried. "So are you hungry now?" she asked, concerned.

I smirked. "The change affects the mind, body, and magic. The Hunger targets the body, rather than the mind or magic. Wendigos get smarter and can resist the hunger more as they age, because their body gradually adapts to their main diet and takes their prey's intelligence as their own. I ate the _arm_ of _Samael_ , so my body adapted to the ridiculous power boost by changing to match his. I can eat _nothing_ for the next century if I had to."

She blinked. "So… you don't _have_ to eat humans, then?"

I shook my head. "No, Wendigos can eat any kind of meat. Most survive off of wild animals. But if you only eat, say, deer meat…"

She grimaced. "You'd turn into a deer," she finished, realizing the issue.

I nodded. "Or, at least, something that looks nothing close to human. I can eat the occasional burger or bacon, but I prefer to keep my face as it is, thank you very much."

"How about vegetables?" Rin asked curiously.

My face screwed up in disgust. "Taste like absolute shit. And even if I did eat them, I might end up as a plant monster." I paused, considering. "Actually, after I figured out how my body adapted, I ate a dozen or so branches of a really old tree just to see what would happen. It gave me a few levels of Regen and made my bones a bit harder, but nothing else."

Rin giggled. "See, Kuro-nee? I'm not the only one who hates vegetables!"

Kuroka sighed. "Rin, if you don't eat them, you'll never grow.

Rin puffed out her cheeks. "I will too! I drink milk!"

The line, delivered with the surety and conviction that only a child could manage, almost made me burst into laughter. I held back, knowing that she would pout at me for my offense to her pride.

That pout was weapons-grade, though…

Kuroka didn't bother hiding her laughter as she wrapped the tiny Grimoire in a hug. "Just don't over-drink like you did last times" she teased. "You felt sick for days."

Aaand there it was. The pout that I Saw mere moments ago. Its full force was directed towards Kuroka, but the Nekoshou simply laughed and returned to my lap. "Shirone had a pout just like that." She poked the girl in the stomach. "My sister, the five-year-old."

Rin puffed out her cheeks. "Mou… you always bring her up!"

Kuroka sighed, her smile falling. "Well, my sister is very dear to me…" She ruffled Rin's hair. "…but she's not my best friend."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what am I, chopped liver?"

She rolled her eyes, patting me on the head. "You're my fiancé, stupid."

My mouth twitched, but I said nothing.

We sat in silence for a while, while Rin suddenly remembered the conversation she had eavesdropped on and turned an interesting shade of red. Kuroka didn't notice, her face crinkling in worry. I sighed, Seeing where she was going. "Shirone is fine, Kuroka. We can check on her tomorrow if we have to."

She whirled, eyes flashing in rage. "And what if she's not alive then? What if we're too late, and—"

"Then I'll kill myself and come back," I interrupted. "It's not the best solution, but it works. As far as I can See, we slip into Lilith tomorrow and read a newspaper about the Nekoshou Massacre. Shirone is listed as the only survivor, and in all the confusion, it was decided that you were the cause of it. Apparently Vassago foresaw the possibility of you killing him and wrote an incriminating note about how you planned to use your Senjutsu to create an illusion of him to kill off the rest of your kind. It wouldn't last ten seconds in a decent court, but you know how public opinion is."

She glared at me for a moment longer. "How do you know you can even come back again?"

I activated my Mangekyō, forcing my transfer point to shift. "Tell me something you'd never tell me normally," I snapped, irritation dripping from my voice.

She faltered. "E-excuse me?"

"Tell me something that I couldn't possibly See, no matter what," I repeated.

She tossed a flickering tongue of flame at me, but I didn't so much as blink. "Well?"

She hesitated. "…Um… I'm wearing blue panties right now."

I blinked. "…Not what I had in mind. You'd punch me if I told you that."

She huffed. "Well excuse me, then. What could I possibly—"

"My birthday is September twelfth!" Rin blurted.

We both turned to look at her, and she flushed. "W-well, you said something that she'd never tell you normally…" she mumbled. "And she never shares my birthday with anyone."

Kuroka sighed. "Well, yes, but…"

I smiled. "That's exactly what I needed, actually. Thanks, Rin."

And then I closed my eyes, suppressed my regeneration, and stopped my heart with a pulse of electricity.

"—even come back again?" Kuroka raged, eyes flashing.

I raised an eyebrow. "Rin's birthday is September twelfth, and you're wearing blue panties."

She stuttered to a halt, rage replaced by genuine confusion. "W-what?"

I sighed. "I just came back in time. You used your flames on me to make sure I was in the present, then told me you had blue panties on. Rin said that her birthday is on September twelfth, which is apparently something you don't share with people."

She blinked. "…Oh."

Rin's eyes widened. "Wait, s-so you just… died?"

I shrugged. "No big deal, I do it all the time."

"It is a big deal!" she protested, eyes beginning to glimmer with tears. "Master can't die, not ever!"

I smiled at her. "Well, I don't usually die due to weakness anymore. I tend to do it because I hit something I can't get right." I tapped my temple. "My Sight does most of the work for me, so Memento Mori is really just there as a safety net. These Eyes only enhance existing powers rather than creating entirely new ones."

She shook her head. "No! Don't die," she pleaded, fingers curling into the material of my shirt. "You might leave Kuro-nee and me alone."

I felt a bit embarrassed at that, but decided to ignore the weighted words. "I can't promise anything, but I'll try," I agreed reluctantly. "But if something goes too far wrong, I'll fix it."

"Actually, I have a question," Kuroka volunteered, face serious. "If all this happened to you, and you really are as strong as you say, then why did the Red Man scare you so badly? Why did you run away and leave Shirone behind?"

I grimaced. "Because the Red Man is immune to the majority of my powers."

"W-what?"

It was a dilemma that even I hadn't resolved, and it gave me a headache just thinking about it. "See… what I didn't mention at the time we fled was that I was leaving because I had already lost. Not once, not twice, but _five consecutive times_. Every time I tried something, he pulled something out of nowhere and destroyed me in a single blow. I couldn't even get a hit in with how well he dodged me, and I'm not sure it would've done anything if I had."

"O-oh," she murmured. "So if I fought him…"

I shook my head. "Don't. Just don't. I'm sure he hasn't done anything to Shirone, and I doubt he wanted to take care of her himself. If anything, he probably pawned her off on Maou to take care of. We'll see her again, Kuroka. There's no need to charge into a pointless battle."

She glared at me for a moment, but conceded my point once more. Rin cleared her throat in the ensuing silence, hand half-raised. "U-um… I finished the room."

I blinked. "Right. Okay. Um… fair warning, I don't sleep anymore. All I do is turn off my mind and discuss the day's happenings with Instinct."

Kuroka, still grumpy, huffed in irritation. "So what _are_ you, anyway? A Wendigo-God-Titan-Being-Whatever?"

I snorted. Kuroka's snark hadn't changed a bit. "I'm a God of Fate with the body of a Wendigo. I'm not really sure what I am other than that. I can shapeshift into whatever I want to be, so it doesn't really matter all that much. Now do you want to sleep or not?"

"Fine," she groused.

Rin perked up, jumping to her feet and rushing towards the door. "Oh, oh, let me show you the room! It's awesome!"

* * *

I opened my eyes, slowly starting up my mind. Kuroka was stirring next to me, snuggled into my side with her arms holding Rin in a sleeper hold. The Grimoire herself was still uttering adorable snoozing noises, occasionally twitching in her sleep, a wide smile plastered on her face. I was almost reluctant to wake the two sisters, but Father Time was blaring an alarm in the back of my head. Kuroka had insisted that we leave as soon as the paper arrived so she could see it for herself, and the paper truck had just arrived in City Square.

I sent a spark of electricity down Rin's arm, causing her to jump slightly and open her eyes. "M-Master?" she whispered, tears beginning to form. "Y-you're still here! Y-you didn't leave!"

I felt slightly guilty at seeing her breaking up over seeing me, but it passed quickly. _That_ made me feel even worse. "Yep," I agreed, wrapping my arms tentatively around the two girls. "I shouldn't have to leave anytime soon, so you don't need to worry about me. I'll always be here."

She flushed prettily at my words, a bright smile breaking across her face. "G-good." She leaned into my embrace, smile remaining in place. "You always used to wake up and touch me all over while using me. You were so gentle, and you held me close when you were done. Kuro-nee never touched me like you did, Master." She looked excitedly up at me. "Can you touch me like that again, Master?"

I coughed, internally cursing while Instinct cackled madly. "Er… Rin… you're in a different form than you were back then," I her delicately.

Instantly, her face shifted from excitement to terror. "D-do you like my other form better? Am I too hideous as a human?"

"Nonononono!" I blurted hurriedly. "You're very cute as you are. I just can't touch you like I used to. It would be inappropriate, and we're both too young. You should only do things like that with the man you love. Wait a few years and try again."

She relaxed, but began to pout. Kuroka stirred once more, making her pout disappear. "Let's wake Kuro-nee, then!"

I nodded slowly. "And… how do you plan to do that? Kuroka sleeps like a rock."

"Easy, like this!" Rin swiveled, and my eyes widened as I saw where her hands were going.

Kuroka woke with a moan, face turning a brilliant red as her eyes snapped open. "R-Rin!" she squeaked. "I told you to stop waking me like that!"

Rin giggled, squeezing the catgirl's small breasts a few more times. "I know, but they're so fun!"

I wisely said nothing as Kuroka proceeded to scold the unrepentant Grimoire. It was almost surreal—seeing a scene reserved for fantasy novels during the nightmare I lived daily. A little dream amongst night terrors. A breath of fresh air that I sorely needed.

 ** _'Rin's still groping her, you know._ '**

…Aaaand it's gone.

 _'Why are you looking, anyway? She's still ten, she doesn't even have any breasts to speak of.'_

 ** _'I'm recording the scene in my mind and keeping it for a later date. I think—'_**

 _'I REALLY don't want to hear the rest of that sentence.'_

 ** _'Heh.'_**

"We need to get going if we want to beat the crowds." I spoke up, making Kuroka jump in surprise.

"O-oh, Dee!" she stammered, prying Rin off her chest. "S-sorry, I thought you were still…"

"Asleep?" I finished, raising an eyebrow. She blushed, looking away, and I hid a smile. "Get ready, we need to leave soon," I advised, slipping out of the bed and heading out of the room. I had never changed out of my tracksuit, not seeing the point of changing clothes if I didn't actually sleep. Rin had Drawn a set of pajamas for herself and her 'sister', so I had to leave them to change back to their clothes.

In the fourth-floor kitchen, I began hunting through the enormous array of utensils for a simple skillet and a carton of eggs. By the time the girls came down the stairs, I was half-finished with the last omelette. I glanced up, gesturing to the two plates containing tuna omelettes. Apparently Rin had copied the exact layout of Vassago's kitchens, so there was plenty of fish products for me to spoil Kuroka with.

"What's this?" Kuroka asked, surprised.

Rin made a face at her. "Master made you an omelette, _duh_."

Kuroka swatted the little Grimoire upside the head. "Thank you, Dee."

I nodded, sliding my own… _special_ … omelette onto a plate. "You always liked my cooking before, so I figured I could show you how much I improved."

Instinct was suspiciously silent as both girls tried the fluffy egg. They both blinked in shock, staring off into space for a few seconds. Then they both began to massacre the poor food like it had insulted their mothers or something.

 ** _'Pffftahahahahahaha!'_** Instinct burst into laughter at the sight, sending me a screen of information.

 **Cooking {Phantasmal} LvMAX: After being put through hell and back, using only the worst ingredients to create culinary masterpieces, you have returned as a cooking genius! Your unique 'training' has been supplemented by your Kangeki's Photographic Reflexes, teaching you the art of food making through a combination of memorization and cooking videos. With this, you can out-cook even the Gods themselves!**

 ** _You can make food with 50% of the normally required materials._**

 ** _Any drink you make is 1000% tastier._**

 ** _Any food you make is 1000% tastier._**

 ** _You have a (10+Lv)% chance that the first time someone tries your cooking they become addicted._**

 ** _Your presentation on the plate is always pristine and perfect._**

 ** _Gain +5 Charm when dealing with food lovers._**

 _'…Are you shitting me?'_

 ** _'Nope!'_**

 _'Great.'_ I sighed, rubbing my eyes. _'What does that last part mean?'_

 ** _'What last pa—oh, you mean the bit about Charm.'_** I could almost _see_ his grin. **_'You know, you really should check your stats more often Kingy. Charm appeared after you gained the ability to use Senjutsu. You know, from eating that Smalls guy?'_**

I blinked, bringing up the first part of my stats.

I frowned, doing as he suggested.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: What Doesn't Kill You Hurts Like Hell  
Race: Wendigo (*)  
Level: 492_

 _Status:  
-Curse of the Wendigo (PERMENANT) (Negates all mental inhibitions and influences, both positive and negative)  
-Wendigo's Freezing Chill (PERMANANT)  
-Madness of Creation (PERMANENT) (NEGATED)_

 _Talent Values:_

 _MP: 567,000/567,000 [56,700,000/56,700,000]  
Physical Attack: 21,790 **{C Rank}**  
Physical Defense: 17,980 **{C- Rank}**  
Magical Attack: 60,970 **{A Rank}**  
Magical Resistance: 65,370 **{A Rank}**  
Agility: 69,943 **{A+ Rank}**  
Charm: 50 [147,000] **{S- Rank}**_

 _Total Value: 337,242_

Holy fuck.

 ** _'Pretty much.'_**

 _What the hell? When did I get this much charisma?_

 ** _'Give me a sec here… okay, with Presence active you get +5 Charm for every Basic skill, +10 for every Advanced, +20 for every Mystic, +40 for every Legendary, +80 for every God, +160 for every Phantasmal. The Ability works by projecting your power on everyone around you to force them to listen, so obviously that's a pretty big plus right there. Then you've got the Traits like Angelic Form and Perfect Body giving huge bonuses to your attractiveness, and your Divinity shining out your ass. What with your tremendous power an' all, you're practically walking sex appeal.'_**

 _'Oh come on. Women aren't actually attracted to power. That's just something Ugnar made up to try to convince us that rape is justified.'_

 ** _'I beg to differ. Normal human stats are around ten across the board. Even with your Race taking five hundred Charm off the top, you still have five times the Charm a normal human does. And once you start cranking up the power? Bow-chicka—gah! Stop that!'_**

I rolled my eyes, picking up the eerily clean plates and setting them in the sink. "All right, are you two ready to go?"

Rin nodded cheerfully. "Yep!"

Kuroka blinked, guiltily lowering her fingers from her mouth. "Er… yeah, sure."

I held out both hands, and both girls took an arm. I focused on my destination, a small newsstand near the edge of my Clairvoyance. Then, with a quick 'save' for luck, I used Blink to pull us through space.

The Devil working the stand barely blinked as we appeared, too busy watching a small television to care what we were doing. I picked up the paper, pointing to the headline.

 ** _Nekoshou Massacre: The Necessary Evil  
_** _By Terra Pratchere_

 _Last night, the Nekoshou of Naskapi were declared a danger to the public by the now-deceased City Lord. Marquis Vassago (Obituary pg. 4) declared the Senjutsu of these seemingly innocent felines to be evil and corrupting. His verdict was only proven true when his former servant, Kuroka, slaughtered him after falling into madness. She has fled the scene and has been declared a SS-Class Stray…_

I skimmed a bit, irritated at the amount of detail given to all Kuroka's 'crimes' without even a mention of Vassago himself.

 _…The only surviving member of this indigenous race is Shirone Gremory, a young girl of only six years. She was spared only by the intervention of The Red Man, a terrorist who believes himself to be above the law in his pursuit of 'justice.' In a battle of tremendous power, The Red Man gracefully danced around the )Queen( of Vassago's Peerage. His machinations were revealed as the spell he had been preparing finally activated, filling Cirocho Crater with water and drowning his remaining foes._

 _This water, while impressive even by itself, was only the beginning. The Red Man then drew upon the submerged trees to form a network of 'roots', weaving them together to form one large trunk. All those who have since tried to approach the monstrous tree have been met with the lake surrounding it, which seems to possess a mind of its own as it drags all trespassers within its depths. (See pg. 16 for interview with Ajuka Beelzebub on the technical impossibility of this spell)_

I stopped reading, handing the paper to Kuroka as I began searching through futures. _'Tree? What tree? I never saw any…'_ My thoughts trailed off as I turned, seeing the monolithic topiary for the first time. Its' canopy reached out as far as I could see, easily covering the entire crater in its gentle shade. Even from here, I could sense the sheer _tranquility_ that it exuded, making my muscles relax even as my mind continued to panic.

 _'That shouldn't exist. I can't See it, not in any future at all. It's like it's a gaping hole in Possibility, put there by The Red Man just to piss me off.'_

I Scryed it, more out of morbid curiosity than anything.

 **[The Tree of Knowledge]  
[**∞ **/** ∞ **]  
{Effects: Purifies Corrupt Chakra, Prolongs Life, ?, ?, ?}**

"Holy shit," I whispered, staring at the thing. "What _is_ that?"

Rin spoke first, seeming just as shocked as I. "I-it looks like it's a… filter of sorts. It eats the pollutants this city gives off and turns them into stimulants."

I nodded slowly, watching as a cloud of 'smoke' trailed towards it. The odd flowers on its' branches opened, and the smoke flowed into them. I felt an invisible pulse hum through the air, my Eyes showing me the golden ripple of energy emanating from the overgrown plant.

"Could you create something like that?" I asked, glancing over at her. "With your pad?"

She shook her head rapidly. "No. Something like that… it's incomprehensible to me. The materials to make such a thing don't exist in the Mortal Realm. The only way it could exist here is if someone warped the rules of reality."

"Kuroka?" I turned to the catgirl. "What do you…"

I trailed off, seeing the tears rolling down her cheeks. I joined her, seeing a simple photo of a young boy holding a Nekoshou in his arms. He was smiling, his hold on the girl gentle and caring. The girl in his arms seemed to be glowing with life and health, looking at the boy as if he meant the world to her. The caption on the photo read 'Shirone Gremory and her master, Millicas Gremory.'

"Oh…" I murmured, hesitantly wrapping the ebony-haired girl in a hug. "I'm sorry Kuro. I didn't mean for this to…"

"Don't," she choked back a sob. "S-she's safe, she's happy, s-she's…" Kuroka took a deep, fortifying breath before continuing. "She's better off this way. It's better like this. Now she doesn't have to be in danger."

I nodded. Even if it sucked, she was right. Shirone was better off where she was safe.

Kuroka folded the newspaper, wiping her eyes and tucking it back where it had come from. "L-let's go."

I raised an eyebrow, but said nothing more on the subject. "I was thinking of checking by the edge of the crater to see the water for myself. Would that be okay?"

She nodded, still sniffling, and Rin gave her a comforting hug. There was a flicker of magic from the little Grimoire, but I didn't bother asking about it. She knew what she was doing. I led our little group towards the crater, navigating city streets and back alleys with an ease granted by experience. No one spoke a word, nothing needed to be said. We just moved within shadows, ducking between people as we tried to avoid being seen.

Soon we reached the edge of the crater, and I got my first look at the great lake.

 **{The Waters That End All Magic}  
[The Sea of Red]**

 **{Effects: Eliminates or assimilates all foreign influences}**

I grimaced. This must've been what been what had blindsided me before. _'It probably works a lot like Senjutsu, which explains why it evades my Sight so well. Eliminates or assimilates all foreign influences, eh? I could probably force it if I really wanted to, but I don't like the idea of water that can see the future if I fail.'_

I shook my head, beginning to turn back to the other two when something caught my eye. A-ways down the beach, a head of red hair stuck out like a sore thumb among the green of the surrounding forest. I could also see another shape floating in the water in front of him, likely swimming if I didn't miss my guess. But the disturbing thing was… I couldn't See either of them.

I glanced back at Rin and Kuroka, checking ahead. No, my Sight still worked fine. So what…?

I Scryed the two, and blinked in utter shock.

 **(Dreams of the Fallen)  
[Millicas Gremory]  
{Race: EXISTENCE OUTSIDE THE DOMAIN}  
[Lv. 9]  
{Status: Distortion (Severe)}**

 **(Devoted Pet)  
[Shirone Gremory]  
{Race: Nekoshou (Yokai)}  
[Lv. 5]  
{Status: Distortion (Low)}**

"Girls?" I began calmly, stepping forward. "Stay here. I need to check on something."

They agreed confusedly, and I started walking towards the odd duo. I saved, hoping I wasn't about to get my ass handed to me. The little boy with red hair glanced up at my approach, blue-green eyes curious. Curious, and most definitely not belonging to the six-year-old he appeared to be. Hidden intelligence sparked within the aquamarine pools, analyzing me even as I did him. His friendly smile didn't waver, though, and Instinct said nothing to alert me, so I pressed on.

I cleared my throat, throwing on a smile. "Hi, are you the boy from the papers?"

He nodded, eyes gleaming with mirth. "The papers don't do me justice, though." He looked down at the swimming Nekoshou, sighing softly. "Her sister had no choice, her master was a complete asshole. I tried to tell the paper, but what would I know?"

I tensed a bit. "You know Kuroka?"

He shrugged, still watching the girl. "I don't know _her_ per se, but I know a thing or two about Senjutsu. If she really had gone mad with power, she would've killed half a city block draining their life energy and then proceeded to decimate the rest of the city using raw power." He glanced over at me. "Tell me, if she really did go on a rampage, then why was Vassago the only one killed?"

I nodded in agreement. I would have to remember that one for later. "You seem to know a lot."

He snorted. "More than you'd think, Diviner." He caught my slight jolt of surprise and gave me a derisive look. "Don't think I didn't notice you trying to See me. And while we're on topic, tell your friend that her spellwork is excellent. I doubt I'll remember this encounter later." As if remembering something, he suddenly reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver coin. "Here, give this to her. I've been trying to perfect Unknow for years now, and your friend did before I could."

I cautiously took the coin, eyeing it suspiciously. "What is it?"

He shrugged. "I got the idea from an old show called Fool Us. It says 'Fooled Us' on the back."

I looked at the back, seeing an embossed 'F U' standing out against the rest of the metal. "Nice. Where'd you even get something like this made?"

He shrugged, turning back to the swimming girl. "Made it myself. Try kicking harder, Shirone!"

The girl shot him a dirty look, not even noticing me. "I _know_."

The boy beside me snickered, turning back to me. "It's been nice talking to you, but I think you should leave before future me notices the large hole in his memory and realizes someone used Unknow on him. He'll be just as pissed about it as I am, and then you'll have to escape an irritated Space Mage."

I nodded slowly, resolving to ask Rin what the hell this guy was talking about. "One more question."

"Shoot."

I glanced at his stats again. "What comes to mind when I say the words 'Existence Outside the Domain'?"

"Fate Series," he answered immediately. "It's someone who slipped through the cracks of the universe to find somewhere they shouldn't have found. Usually means Old Gods or Eldritch Abominations. Why?"

"No reason." I gave him my best smile, extending a hand. "It's been nice talking with you."

"Same," he agreed, shaking my hand. "Oh, and ask your friend if she knows how to use a Perception Filter yet. I think she could get a kick out of it."

I nodded politely, turning and walking away. The boy didn't seem to be an immediate danger to me or Shirone, so I was content leaving him alone for now. He seemed more than a little deranged anyway, and more crazy people in my life isn't exactly something I need.

"So?" Kuroka asked impatiently. "Who was that? Why did we need to stay here?"

I shrugged, glancing back at the odd duo. "No one important. I just saw two unnaturally low levels and had a flashback to a rather unpleasant experience in the Pit. My Eyes can be fooled by suppressing one's power level, and a clever python once took a chunk out of my arm by pretending he only had a level of three rather than over three hundred. This guy's just a bystander for now."

I turned to Rin, who was staring longingly over at the red-haired boy. Not the look of a lovestruck maiden, no, more like someone who knows they can't have something and want it anyway. I said nothing about her silent pining, instead asking the question that had plagued me the entire conversation. "The boy said you used something called 'Unknow'. Could you tell me what that is?"

Rin flinched slightly, prying her attention away from the boy. "A-ah, yeah. It's a spell that interferes with the way memories are formed. It prevents anyone under its effects from remembering them after around ten seconds of looking away." She wrung her hands, looking slightly anxious. "D-did he… say anything about me?"

I tossed her the silver coin. "He said to tell you to look into 'perception filters' or something. Said you'd find them interesting."

She visibly brightened, beaming and clutching the coin to her chest. "O-oh! Thanks!"

"Anything I should know about him?" I asked drily.

"Nope!" she chirped, still beaming. "Nothing!"

"Riiight." I decided not to pursue the topic. Best not to push her if she didn't want to tell. "Well, let's get back to the mansion. Anywhere else we should go before then?"

Kuroka shook her head, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "No, I can't think of anywhere."

"You sure?" I glanced back at the white-haired girl still trying to swim. "You really don't want to talk to your sister?"

She grimaced. "No… she wouldn't understand. Not really. It's best if I wait until she's seen more of the world. That Gremory boy can shield her from the worst of the world, but she'll still see enough to get why I had to kill Vassago."

I let it go, instead stretching Clairvoyance out towards our mansion. I held out my hands, and each girl took one. A Step later, and we were gone.

* * *

I finished cleaning off my fingers, still smacking my lips. Kuroka was done with her meal as well, but Rin seemed to be savoring the taste of hers. I collected the empty dishes, heading towards the sink to rinse them off and tuck them into the nearby dishwasher. Rin finished a few seconds later, rising to her feet and skipping over to join me. "Thank you for the meal, Master!" She chirped, beaming.

I reached out and ruffled her reddish-brown hair. "No problem, Rin."

She giggled, leaning into my hand. Amused, I continued to rub her head. She sighed deeply, humming in contentment. "I'm glad you're back, Master."

Kuroka watched us for a bit, before sighing and rising to her feet. "We need to talk." Kuroka began, hesitance visible in her posture.

I blinked, pausing mid-rub. "What about?"

Rin poked me, cheeks puffed out. "Masteeer…"

I rolled my eyes, returning to rubbing her head. Kuroka stifled a giggle, relaxing slightly. "Let's go to the sitting room for this. We'll be more comfortable."

"Sure." I pulled my hand away from Rin's head, making her pout.

Rin and I followed Kuroka's lead as she headed upstairs. Rin's pout remained in place, even as she claimed the spot next to me on the couch and I returned to rubbing her head. We both waited for the black-haired Nekoshou to speak once more.

Kuroka cleared her throat, face flushing slightly. "So… what I wanted to know was… where do we go from here?"

I raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

"What's the plan?" She gestured vaguely. "What are we doing here?"

I shrugged. "I've got a few goals, but I already have everything I need."

She frowned. "Really? What might that be?"

I tapped Rin on the head. "My Book." I pointed to her. "You." I held up a hand, summoning a quick burst of flame. "Enough power to protect both of you." I released the magic, returning to petting Rin. "What more could I want?"

Kuroka flushed prettily, stammering for a coherent sentence. "I-I… Y-you… W-we…" She shook her head. "No. That's not… I wanted…"

I gave her a teasing grin. "Oh? Would you like me to pet you, too?"

"No!" she snapped. "I want to know what we're doing!"

I shrugged. "I'm just going to keep gaining power. I don't really have any sinister endgame if that's what you want to know."

"So why are we here?" she demanded.

I blinked. "…Because I care about you and don't want to see you get hurt," I said slowly. "If I wanted something from you, why wouldn't I just _ask_?"

Her mouth opened and closed for a few seconds before she stopped and took a deep breath. "You would," she said quietly. "Of course you would. I'm sorry. It's just… I'm used to having to deal with dozens of different agendas at once. You just… showed up and started taking care of us like you never left."

I looked her straight in the eye. "Kuroka, I grew up in the same scumhole you did, I'm no stranger to alternate agendas. I genuinely care about you two, you should be able to sense that. So don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

She nodded slowly, glancing at Rin. The little Grimoire's eyes were barely staying open, and she was leaning against me like a great big pillow. The Nekoshou waited a few more minutes for the girl to fully fall asleep, before lowering her voice and speaking once more. "So what about… _us_."

I raised an eyebrow, gesturing for her to continue. "How so?"

She turned bright red, shifting her weight. "I-I mean… I know we've both been through hell, and you… and you can't really _feel_ all that much, but… are we still…?"

I frowned. "Are we still what?"

" _Engaged_ ," she whispered, face still a brilliant red.

 _'Uhhh… shit. I remember reading about that.'_ I pulled the mental chord that led to my Retrocognition and Thought Acceleration, then activated God's Eyes.

 **…After a series of events leading to her collapsed in an alley from exhaustion, she was picked up by a young boy named Dakota. They conversed, and after a short while, Dakota offered her an item of immense value, crafted by his own two hands. Or, in the culture of Yokai, a marriage proposal. Kuroka shyly accepted and began to grow infatuated with the boy. Over the course of the next few months, during which 'Dee' visited her daily, her infatuation grew to truly epic proportions, until she finally admitted to herself that she was in love with him.**

I mentally grimaced. _'Well no wonder she let me visit her so often after I helped her with her sister. I frickin' proposed to her without even knowing it. God, I feel like a moron. I'll bet no one else in the world has to deal with shit like this.'_

* * *

 **E** lsewhere, a red-haired boy sneezed. Instantly, his worried pet was all over him. "Master? Are you sick? Do I need to talk to Grayfia-sama? Do you need—"

"I'm fine, Shirone." he said soothingly, snuggling her close once more. "It's probably just someone talking about me."

* * *

 **I** slowed my thoughts, sighing deeply. Time to use my Sight to figure out what to do.

 _"Kuroka…" I gave her an honest smile. "I care about you a lot. You were all that kept me going when I was trapped in that hellhole. I told you that already. But… I don't really think either of us is really ready for a relationship quite yet."_

 _She froze, eyes beginning to glisten. She sniffed, wiping them. "I-I understand." She rose to her feet, giving me a watery smile. "S-sorry to bring it up, then."_

 _And with that, she left, leaving me feeling like a complete asshole._

Nope. Definitely not that one.

 _I grinned, deciding to make a joke. "I think you're looking at it all wrong. A shared experience of being oppressed is a rather lousy basis for a friendship as compared to, I dunno, a love of banana Runts. Reason being, you're going to have some really depressing conversations. On the other hand, there's something truly special when you realize that someone who's almost nothing like you likes exactly the same obscure candy."_

 _She giggled, a nostalgic smile crossing her face. "So no depressing conversations, then. Got it."_

I cut that future off before I could even see the end. This was a bit too important to make a joke about it. Time to try a more direct approach.

 _I hesitated for a moment._

 _Could I think that way about my best friend? I know she loves me, her bio said as much. Hell, her Title is literally a declaration that she'll follow me anywhere. But can I… could I love her?_

 _I sighed, trying to think the situation over as I triggered Thought Acceleration. From what I'd seen and heard, Kuroka's feeling hurt right now because she thought I left her behind. The first moment we met, she kissed me and broke into tears. A kiss would solve the situation because when she kissed me, I was too busy using Retrocognition to kiss her back._

 _So could I love her?_

 _I felt my lips twitch into a smirk._ 'Only one way to find out.'

 _I activated my Mangekyō, saving my progress, then leaned in and kissed the catgirl directly on the lips. She stiffened, but began to lean into the kiss. I eventually pulled away to make sure she was breathing, before she promptly swung her legs over mine and slid onto my lap. Then she was the one kissing me, and this time there were no tears to ruin the experience._

Yeaaah, no. Too mushy, too fast. We were both still healing from our shitty lives, no need to rush into a relationship. Time to try something a bit gentler.

 _I gave her a soft smile. "Kuroka, we're ten. We may have both grown up too fast for our own good, in circumstances most_ adults _don't have to face, but I think we should take a relationship one step at a time. I like you, you like me, so we're together. We don't even know if we can be anything more than friends yet, so until we both know for sure that we want more, either of us can back out at any given time."_

 _Kuroka's eyes lit up._

I mentally cheered. _'We have a winner!'_

I slowed my thoughts, giving Kuroka a soft smile. "Kuroka… we're _ten_. We may have both grown up too fast for our own good, in circumstances most _adults_ don't have to face, but I think we should take a relationship one step at a time. I like you, you like me, so we're together. We don't even know if we can be anything more than friends yet, so until we both know for sure that we _want_ more, either of us can back out at any given time."

Her eyes lit up, but she tried to contain her excitement. "O-oh! Right, that's great!" She shifted, still doing the adorable lip-biting thing she did whenever she was holding back a smile. "I'm glad that we have that figured out, then. I-I just…"

I patted the couch by my side, and she quickly moved from her chair to beside me. I began to stroke her head, making her almost go cross-eyed from the pleasure. Soon she was purring loudly, rubbing her cheek against mine. I didn't stop her, even though I wasn't quite sure what she was doing. She seemed to be enjoying herself, though, so I decided to let her go.

Sometime later, when Kuroka finally got her pent-up affection out of her system and fell asleep, I finally had my thoughts to myself.

 _'What_ am _I doing here? I have a Nekoshou who seems to genuinely care for me, and a Grimoire I don't doubt would happily slaughter millions for me if I asked her to. I seem to be raising a bunch of yanderes. A 'slaughter' of yanderes? Well, whatever. With Kuro and Vali, I practically have myself a harem of them.'_ My lips twitched. _'I'm no stranger to harems, I was raised in a polygamous society, but yanderes? That's a bit odd, even for the Underworld. I should really look ahead to make sure this doesn't blow up in my face. Chronos probably had some kind of Sight of his own, but he couldn't use it during our fight. That probably means it was the kind that was strictly long-term.'_

I reached for Father Time, trying to replicate the sensation of Sight using it. It took some fiddling, but a fog slowly began covering my senses.

 ** _-"Master!" Rin chirped, skipping over to me. She looked close to sixteen, and she was absolutely_ covered _in blood. The shattered remains of a city block surrounded us. "Did I do well? I killed them for you!"-_**

 ** _-Rin, now sporting a pair of cat ears, was giving a brown-haired boy a tender smile as she held a paper lantern into the air. The two were on a bridge with talismans covering the railing, the night sky filled with lanterns similar to the one Rin held. Mountains lined the horizon, surrounding the lake they stood over._**

 ** _"Happy anniversary,_** ** _▇▇▇▇▇." Rin whispered, eyes glowing softly in the light of the lantern. "I love you."_**

 ** _"I love you too," he whispered back._**

 ** _Rin lifted the lantern into the air, watching it float away. They spent some time seeing the beautiful lights dance through the sky, before Rin turned to me and spoke once more. "D-do you remember our first time?" she asked, face reddening. Her fingers played with the ribbons holding her dress together, hinting at her intentions._**

 ** _I felt myself smile, and beside me, I heard a girl's voice squeal in excitement. "Oooh, little Rin's all grown up!"-_**

 ** _-"Husbaaand!" Kuroka sang, skipping over to me. I noticed a distinct lack of a ring on her finger, despite her term of endearment. She wrapped her arms around mine, drawing my attention to her impressive bust. "Welcome home!" she giggled. "Would you like dinner first? A bath?" She leaned forward, and the thin kimono around her shoulders slipped down to reveal more cleavage. "Ooor… me?"_**

 ** _My hand moved against my will, slipping into her kimono and cupping her smooth breast…_**

 ** _Kuroka giggled. "Oh, my. I take it it's option three, then?"-_**

 ** _-"Goshojin-sama!" a soft voice scolded. A beautiful white-haired teen slipped into my field of vision, dressed in an extremely fetching French maid costume. "Leave that to me. I am your priestess, after all. It's only right that I take care of this for you." She turned, drawing my attention to two things. First, we were both standing in front of an eviscerated corpse. Second, the skirt of her uniform did nothing to hide her black lace panties._**

 ** _Oddly enough, the second thing was more important to me than the first.-_**

 ** _-An adorable fox-girl nuzzled into my side. "Dee?" She asked, concerned by my lapse in focus. Her nine tails shifted, curling around me protectively. "Is something wrong?"_**

 ** _I saw my hand reach out, stroking her fluffy ears and making her shiver in delight. Her hand went to the thick leather collar around her neck, and a blush lit her cheeks. She moved, shifting from beside me to on top of me. She leaned in to a deep kiss, her hands going to the hem of her haori as she began to undress herself.-_**

I blinked awake, slightly surprised by how well-rested I felt. Apparently Father Time worked using prophetic dreams.

Kuroka shifted against me, reminding me that I wasn't alone. I had evidently fallen asleep with Rin and Kuroka still leaning on me, meaning they were still snuggled into my side right now.

I sighed, taking the time to think through my odd visions. _'Okay. So the first three I can understand. Valiant goes slightly insane to try to please me, and Kuroka falls to her Lust for the same reason. Judging by my reactions to each, they probably had done those things several times before.'_ My lips twitched. _'Apparently I have two incredibly horny yanderes in the future. Instinct would be proud.'_

My smile died as I considered the other two dreams. _'The first one might be Valiant, but what about the last one? I don't know any nine-tailed foxgirls, let alone any that would try to seduce me at the drop of a hat. Could she be the daughter that Yasaka mentioned? I should really check on Kyoto next.'_

Kuroka mumbled something in her sleep, making me smile to myself. _'Well, I can absolutely see myself in a relationship with her at least. She waited this long, and doesn't care that I'm a monster.'_

Kuroka's ears twitched slightly, drawing my attention to them. Slightly curious, I reached out and began stroking them. _'Huh. The foxgirl's ears were fluffier.'_ I mused idly, not stopping in my ministrations.

 ** _'Oi, King.'_**

I blinked. _'Instinct? What do you need?'_

 ** _'We need a mentor._ ' **Instinct spoke calmly, lacking his customary rudeness.

I snorted. _'Oh, so_ now _you speak. Couldn't you have said something back when I was having a panic attack over knowing it's possible for a level five nobody to block my Sight?'_

 ** _'Nope. Not my magic, not my problem.'_**

There was a long pause, but he said nothing more. I sighed, rolling my eyes. _'All right fine. What do you mean by 'we need a mentor'?'_

I could sense his grin. **_'See, was that so hard?'_**

 _'Fuck off.'_

 ** _'Heh.'_**

 _'I can go back to sleep at any time, you know.'_

 ** _'All right fine! Spoilsport…'_** He collected himself, speaking calmly once more. **_'We need to find someone to teach us how to use our powers rather than just stumbling around pulling last-minute saves out of nowhere. If we faced The Red Man right now, what chance would you have against him?'_**

I grimaced. _'None.'_

 ** _'Exactly. You need to find someone to train us, otherwise we'll be left trying to figure this shit out_ alone _. I can only tell you what my instincts know, and that's about as reliable as trying to assemble something by looking at the picture on the box.'_**

I nodded to myself, glancing down at Kuroka and Rin. I just got these two back, it would kill me to lose them. Instinct was right, I needed help. _'All right, so who exactly will we be asking here? It's not like we have any gods on speed dial.'_

 ** _'No, we don't.'_** Instinct considered the issue for a bit, allowing me to return to stroking Kuroka's ears. **_'Well, whoever it is, we really shouldn't let them know anything about us. Save now, then go looking for a mentor. Once you've learned all you could, stop your heart to come back. Then you can get to the more important shit, like figuring out what the hell you're going to do with your life.'_**

I nodded, ceding his point. It would suck to have someone who could turn up sometime in the future and take us down with no difficulty at all. _'Any idea who we could ask?'_

 ** _'…I might have one.'_**

 _'Really? Who?'_

 ** _'That one who you talked to earlier. The level five kid. He seems to know a hell of a lot more than he should. Maybe because he has an important last name, maybe because he's an Anomaly. Try him first, and if he can't help, he might be able to point us to someone who can.'_**

 _'Great.'_ I grumbled to myself. _'Asking someone who can no-sell my Sight for help is going to be a bitch to deal with.'_

 ** _'Be careful.'_** My Aspect warned. ' ** _I wasn't just being frugal when I told ya to only go back once. The bigger the jump back in time, the bigger the ripples. Five minutes ain't much, but a year might well turn Kuroka's hair blonde or some shit.'_**

My lips twitched. _'I was wondering where the cussing went.'_ I teased.

 ** _'Shut up and go find a teacher, you jackass.'_**

My smile faded as I realized what I actually had to do. _'Right… so it's time to track down a possibly insane six-year-old to ask him to train me.'_

 ** _'Well to be fair, the Author is just as mad and no less intelligent. Learning from madmen has worked for you so far.'_**

I sighed, rising to my feet. Kuroka opened an eye, peering up at me. "Going somewhere?"

I nodded. "The voice in my head convinced me to go talk to a madman so I can learn how to blow shit up."

"Oh." She closed the eye. "Well have fun, then."

"Will do." I concentrated, trying to figure out how to extend my Clairvoyance towards someone I couldn't effectively track. I settled on looking for the 'holes' in my Sight, something that's much harder than it sounds.

Kuroka's eyes snapped open. "Wait, you were serious?"

I blinked. "Er… yes?"

She sighed, rising to her feet. Still slumbering, Rin fell over onto the couch cushions as her 'pillow' moved. Unaware, Kuroka stepped closer to me. Her cheeks reddened as she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "B-be careful," she stammered.

 ** _'…Wait. You two aren't dancing around your relationship like demented toucans. Did I miss something?'_**

My lips twitched. _'Demented_ toucans _? Where the hell did you get toucans from?'_

 ** _'Fuck you, don't try to change the subject.'_**

I smirked, sending him the memory of my visions.

 ** _'…I take it back. Consider the subject changed.'_**

My smirk remained in place as I grabbed hold of the mental rope leading to Blink. I tugged, aiming for the lake that I had last met the boy at, my Clairvoyance locking the location in my mind.

My surroundings changed abruptly, but not to the mirror-like lake as I had intended. No, now I was in a mid-sized room decorated with antique furniture. I was seated at a large table of solid mahogany, my chair soft and comfortable beneath me.

Across from me, a red-haired man sat with his chin resting on his folded hands. His blue-green eyes danced with mischief, and his smile was invitingly friendly. He wore rectangular glasses and a pure white lab coat over a shirt with hoodie. "Hello, there," he said cheerfully.

I raised an eyebrow, my Eyes unable to pierce the obvious disguise. "If you're going to mimic the Red Man, at least make your eyes less friendly. His were a portal to pure madness, not shallow pools of interest. Nice try, though. You're a perfect replica of his image, even if you don't have the same Aura."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I gave it my best. What do you think?"

"I think there's only one kind of magic in this world that my Eyes can't pierce." I told him, beginning to draw on my power in case I had to make a quick getaway. "So tell me… what kind of deity are you?"

The unknown god smiled.

It was not a nice smile.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **So, um, I have about three separate projects going on right now. One for work, one for myself, and one for my sister. Updates might be a bit late for a while, but I am still working on my stories.**

 **…Side note, I never realized before how annoying plot bunnies could be. One moment I'm halfway through this chapter, the next I get a spark of an idea and suddenly I'm burning six hours straight on a RWBY story I may or may not ever finish. And don't even get me _started_ on the BNHA half-done story I have sitting on my drive…**

 **So, yeah. Life is kinda all over the place right now. I am still alive, and I am still posting. I just have a deadline of December 1st for most of my work, and it's creeping up pretty damn fast. So happy Thanksgiving, all, and I wish those of you who are travelling a safe trip!**

 _B/N: Holy heck it's finally happening! Dee's finally meeting Millicas! Dee and Kuroka kissed! And we'll probably never see Von again until 20 chapters later… D:_

* * *

 **Hashirama 1710:**

 **Yes, campione are a thing. But they can only be created in set circumstances. I'm pretty sure I mentioned at some point that the current version of Mars in the Roman pantheon is a campione who ascended to godhood.**

 **The being known as 'Millicas' is a soul from our world that slipped through the cracks. The Balance allowed him through because, well, he brings balance to the equation. I'll explain more in future chapters, but that's all for now.**

 **Wacko12:**

 **No, it was Sirzech's son. I left the details out for now, and you'd have to read my other story (UtV) in order to get the full story, but it's not entirely necessary to understand this tale.**

 **VanitasTheFool1:**

 **Millicas was pretty much in full-on panic mode when Dee came out of nowhere and tried to escape with Shirone. He may have overreacted, but in his mind it was justified.**

 **TheDudeManBro:**

 **…Wow. Um. Okay. That was fairly graphic. But in essence, you are correct. Millicas is a force of chaos that _will_ bring change come hell or high water. In his view of the 'bigger picture', i.e. Trihexa, he doesn't really notice everything else. As I mentioned in the reply above, Millicas was pretty much in full-on panic mode when Dee came out of nowhere and tried to escape with the girl he was protecting. To Millicas, Dee was a member of Vassago's Peerage trying to kill an innocent little girl. He may have overreacted, but in his mind it was justified.**

 **OmnipotentHeroPauk:**

 **No. Just… no. It's a headache trying to write for Millicas's five girls, twenty girls would be a complete nightmare. Not to mention Dee's general disinterest in romance, ensuring that his harem is small.**

 **When I say three girls, I mean three girls. And no, the third is not a Devil.**

 **Awkane:**

 **Sorry, but no. Akeno never really appealed to me as a character. Her mindset is foreign to my own, to the point where me trying to write for her would look ridiculous. I can appreciate her as a person, but I couldn't make her a main character without major revisions to her personality and motivations.**

 **I'm glad you enjoy my fic, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **Yukilumi:**

 **I created Instinct to solve several problems. Dee isn't that attached to emotion anymore, and that can be a very dangerous thing. I can see it getting old, but I plan to flesh out their respective characters with time. Hopefully that'll make it less tedious.**

 **He isn't really _close_ to Shark, but each knows that they can depend on the other. That's enough to matter in a life-or-death situation. Dee trusted Shark pretty much because he had to, since he had no way of taking on the entirety of Naskapi by himself without killing the Nekoshou as well.**

 **As for whether or not I've hit my stride, we shall see…**

 **Kampeop:**

 **There is such a thing as too bullshit, but not in DxD. This is an anime where the main character can _infinitely double his power_ and still can't face everyone. **

**I'm glad you like the humor, and I honestly just never had a chance to incorporate the omake into the story, otherwise it would be canon.**

 **Thank you for your support!**

 **Nicolas:**

 **No, he's Sirzechs's son. See my other fic for details.**

 **humphryHumpsted:**

 **Please learn basic punctuation before attempting to flame. I honestly couldn't tell what you were saying in the first half of your review.**


	10. Tenuous Bargains and Terrible Prices

**Chapter 9: Tenuous Bargains and Terrible Prices**

* * *

 **All right. So. I am** _ **not**_ **dead, even though I kind of wish I were at this point. The past month or so has been absolute hell for me, for a variety of reasons. In the middle of my Thanksgiving break, I was unexpectedly transferred to a project that was set to launch at New Year's Eve. A project that really should've been started at the** _ **beginning**_ **of the year was suddenly condensed into one month. But when your boss says 'work' and you really need your job, you have no choice but to work your ass off.**

 **So pretty much all of December was one shitfest after another, with me pulling around three all-nighters a week and living almost entirely off black tea, Mt. Dew, and fast food. My team and I finished the project with four days to spare, turned it in, and proceeded to sleep for the next day. For about four hours, we had the fastest supercomputer in the world.**

 **And then Intel called and said that they'd wave all the fees if we buried it.**

 **Needless to say, my team and I were pissed. When we showed up the next morning, our boss told us to forget the whole thing and Intel guys came in to take all our stuff. Our one consolation was the overtime pay we got. So when I tried to return to writing my lovely stories, I decided to take a step back and cool off for a bit before continuing after I found myself writing an honest-to-God** _ **torture scene**_ **for UtV.**

 **I am not** _ **dead**_ **, just mildly pissed off.**

 **On the bright side, my boss gave me off until the 21** **st** **after he realized I might strangle him otherwise. So… yeah. That's where I'm at now.**

 **Oh, and fair warning, this chapter hasn't been beta'd because I wanted it to get out in time. Sorry, Chessru, but I needed to get this one out after I logged in and realized I had several PMs saying 'R.I.P'.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **É͏r̵̨ŗ̴̵͏̸o̵̶͠҉r̸̶͟͞:҉̵̧̢̛ ̷̨̨́͠R̵͡é̢̕͜҉ḑ͝͞͠a̸͟͜͝c̶͞t̵̴̕e̵̢̕d̴̨̨—Unrealized future event**_

 _ **Time: Unknown**_

 _ **Location: The crater in Naskapi**_

 _ **Report begin.**_

…

"Are you sure that this is the right place?" I asked skeptically, glancing around at the empty beach. Before me, the Sea of Red crashed.

' _ **Positive. This is the exact scene I had in my dream, except that the Red Man was right next to you.'**_

"Except he's _not_."

' _ **Well no shit, Sherlock. Even if your Sight doesn't work, that doesn't mean you're powerless. Try something.'**_

I raised an eyebrow. "Try what?"

' _ **I don't know, just… do something.'**_

I sighed, letting my gaze wander. The largest structure around was the giant tree in the middle of the lake. Other than that, it was all just water and other random bits of shrubbery. "Lots of options, here."

' _ **Hey, you know my Divination isn't as accurate as yours is. I just know bits and pieces, that's it.'**_

"That still makes no conceivable sense." I deadpanned. "How—"

' _ **Because I'm Batman. Now shut up, the sunlight won't be in the right spot for much longer.'**_

I grimaced, returning my gaze to the tree. I threw a small burst of lightning at it, just to see what it would do. Nothing seemed to happen, but it mysteriously vanished just before it hit. I tried again, with a bigger bolt this time. Only now, the water itself rose to swallow the bolt whole.

 _Interesting_.

I gathered power into my hand, focusing on creating the largest lightning bolt I could. I threw it, watching as the entire lake rose to devour the magic.

"Would you mind _not_ setting my Tree on fire? It's a loan from a friend." The familiar voice made me whirl in shock.

 **(Dreams of the Fallen)  
[M̷̵̧͘͠ ͢͏&̛͜͞%͘͜͜͜͡^̶̵͘͟͠#̷̶̵̡͠ ̴̛͢͝͠ ̶̸̨^̶̸́͠͝_̡̡̢́=̨͠4̵̵̕͘0̸̢͠r̵͘Y̴̡͠͡]  
{Race: EXISTENCE OUTSIDE THE DOMAIN}  
[Lv. ]  
{Status: Distortion (Severe), Severed Magic (Severe)}**

I stared for a moment, not believing my eyes. _'Severed magic? He can't use magic?'_ A wild grin spread across my face. _'I guess he really isn't all-powerful. That wave-thing must've taken a toll on him. If that's the case, then…'_

I pulled Gaé Bolg from my Gem, darting forward and aiming at his neck. His hand blurred, catching the spear. "Was that supposed to hurt me?" He asked rhetorically. "I'm only here to ask what you wanted. I recognize you, albeit vaguely."

I ignored his jab, pulling my spear away from him without much trouble. "Would you mind dying for me?" I asked harshly.

He raised an eyebrow. "What on God's green earth did I ever do to you? I've never met you before in my life!"

I blinked, abruptly realizing that it was true. To him, this was our first meeting. "You're not supposed to be here." I informed him, trying to misdirect his attention. Red was more than intelligent enough to figure out something was off, and I wouldn't put it past him to realize I was a time traveler just from that slight slip.

His eyes widened, and he took a step back. "I see. And you seek to correct the mistake?"

I frowned internally. It seemed that he was taking me more seriously. "Yes." I tried, my voice stern. "You're an Existence Outside the Domain.

He blinked, seeming honestly surprised. "I see. Are you here to correct the ERROR, then?"

"…Yes." I decided, hiding my confusion. "I'm a God of Fate—"

He snorted. "Oh, you have to _hate_ me. With all the fucking around I've been doing with the timeline, your job must be hell."

I shrugged, deciding to put my Acting skill to good use. "I'm kind of new, actually. I'm just here because I accidentally let you in when I first used my powers. Normally I wouldn't have bothered, but you've killed enough people to fill a small country and the world considers you a terrorist."

"I killed _monsters_." He corrected calmly. "And I'd do it all again."

I raised an eyebrow. Apparently I was a monster to him, then, back when we first fought.

…All right, that's fair.

"You don't regret killing?" I asked instead.

"No." He stated simply, with the finality of an executioner. "The Fate of this world _must_ change, and I'm the only one with the power to change it. The End is coming, a force beyond anything anyone here has ever known. If I didn't try to slow the advance of the Khaos Brigade, they might've already succeeded in killing the Dragon of Dreams."

The madman spoke casually, as if he were commenting on the weather. He apparently expected me to know what he was talking about. I filed the name 'Khaos Brigade' into the back of my mind and forged onward. "I hope you understand that I have to correct my mistake." I ventured, forcing myself to seem unconcerned.

He snorted. "Oh, please. You and I both know that a drunk kitten could take me out right now. I'm only maintaining this spell with the help of my Reality Marble and a few extra Gems."

I shrugged, saying nothing.

He sighed, looking up into the sky. "Was it wrong of me?" He murmured. "To try to make a difference? To live a life free of suffering?"

I thought back to little Millicas, who had generously taken Shirone under his wing. "No. It wasn't. Another in this realm is in the same boat as you, and I left him alone because all he wanted was to relax and spend time with his friend."

He raised an eyebrow. "Another Distortion? Wow, that's… statistically impossible. It was only by sheer dumb luck that I landed here instead of back when the cavemen smashed rocks together."

I hid my smile. It seemed that Red shared my sense of humor, at least. "His name is Millicas Gremory." I told him. "The peaceful one, I mean."

He blinked once, then burst out laughing. "Pfftahahaha! Oh, God, you're serious aren't you? Jesus, I didn't know that Senjutsu was that effective at concealing things from Gods!"

I frowned. "What's so funny?"

"N-nothing." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Will my corpse be a problem?"

I let the previous subject go in favor of the new one. "Possibly. It would be best if your body were obliterated." I paused. "…Something might use you to slip through the cracks." I added the last bit as an afterthought, hoping he bought it.

He groaned, shaking his head. "Well, I suppose I can understand that, at least. Then feel free to destroy my body. I give you permission or whatever."

"Of course." I agreed smoothly. "That would be simplest."

He hesitated, reaching into his pocket. "But, um… before I go… please. Give this to whoever succeeds me."

I blinked in confusion. "Pardon?"

"The Red Man is a title, not a person." He said matter-of-factly. As if it were an indisputable facet of the universe. "This isn't my real face, my real voice. I doubt I'll be the first to use it, or the last. Whoever steps up to fill my role… please. Give them this." He handed me a package, smiling softly. "I don't know who they'll be, but whoever they are, they'll need the help."

I took the package, noting how light it was. It seemed to be a box of some sort, though I didn't know what it held. "All right. Is that all?"

He nodded, stepping back. "Yep. Feel free to fire away. Smite me, almighty smiter!"

I rolled my eyes, holding up a hand. I activated Attack Magic, pulling more and more power until I was confident it could vaporize the grinning idiot. Then I shot a single bolt of lightning, which blazed so brightly I could see nothing else for a moment. Then it faded, leaving behind only a smoldering pile of cloth and a few fluttering red hairs.

'… _ **I cannot believe that just worked.'**_ Instinct said in disbelief. _**'All that for… this? Really? We trained under that douchebag for months, and we get**_ **this** _ **?'**_

' _Hey, I'm just glad it worked.'_ My eyes fluttered shut, and I exhaled in relief. _'It seemed like he knew full well what he had done, too. He didn't regret his actions and accepted his punishment like a man. In his eyes, he probably died in a fitting manner.'_

' _ **Yeah…'**_ Instinct trailed off. _**'What should we do with the box?'**_

' _Exactly what we promised to do.'_ I turned, activating my Clairvoyance. _'If someone shows up as the new Red Man, we'll give them the box. It's the least we can do.'_

' _ **All right, then.'**_

I activated Step, vanishing from the place where the odd magician died.

' _Maybe now I'll get a little peace and quiet.'_

* * *

It lasted three days. Three days before someone came knocking. I would be annoyed, if not for the fact that every headline in the Underworld was currently telling of the Red Man's demise at the hands of a blue-haired boy in a black tracksuit.

I sighed to myself, setting down my cards. "Just skip me for now." I told the other players.

Vali nodded, reaching for the dice. "Should I play for you?"

I nodded. "Try to get me Park Place if you can."

She nodded. "Of course, my lord."

Kuroka's voice faded away as I left the room and started down the stairs, but I still made out something about fish and cards. No matter.

I opened the door, smiling pleasantly. "Hello, there—" I froze, recognizing the form in front of me. Just to be sure, I scryed him.

 **(The Red Man)  
[Se ͢͏%͘͜͜͜͡^̶̵͘͟͠#̷̶̵̡͠ ̴̛͢͝͠ ̶̸̨^̶̸́͠͝_̡̡̢́=̨͠aN]  
{Race: ? ? ?}  
[Lv. ? ? ?]  
{Status: Grief (Severe)}**

I blinked. "Ah. You must be his successor, then."

The man before me, a dead ringer for the one I had killed, nodded once. "I never knew him personally, but he helped me out when I was in a tough spot. I owe him more than he would've ever known."

I squinted at the warped text. _'Se- something-all Le-something-an. Wonder who that could be.'_ "Er, right." I said awkwardly. "So… I'm not sure how this is supposed to go, but here." I handed her the package, which I had been keeping in my Storage Gem. "He left this for you."

He took the brown paper package almost reverently, holding it close. "Thank you. Did he… say anything to you?" He asked hesitantly.

I shook my head. "All he said was that someone else would arrive to take his place and that I should give them that. His magic was shot from everything he had done, so he didn't bother running. I tried to make it painless, but you never know."

"I see." His eyes sharpened. "Why did you kill him?"

I grimaced. My Sight hummed to life, warning me that though I would survive a fight with this guy, it would likely cost me quite a bit. He fought mainly with Ice Magic, but he could do some frankly terrifying things with it.

Seriously. Who knew that you could turn someone's blood to ice like that?

"He was an error in the system." I began cautiously. "You might say that he was my responsibility to remove, since I was the one who let him in."

"So that was enough reason for you to kill him?" He challenged.

My gaze shifted. "At this point… I really don't know."

The Red Man stared at me for a long moment, before sighing. He shook his head, turning around. "Watch your back, Blue. I might not want to start anything today, but one day karma's going to come calling."

I tensed slightly, watching as he began to walk away. _'If that wasn't a threat, then I don't know what is.'_

' _ **King. Remember the thing about the Khaos Brigade?'**_

' _Right, I still need to look into that. Damn.'_

I turned, closing the door behind me and—

 _D̢͘͜͝d̛͟͏̕ȩ̢͟͟R̛͜͢g̀҉́͞t̛͘è̶͠͝r̷̡̛͞3̴̡͠͞4̸̡R̵͘͢͟͡F̀͘d̷̀w͞e͟͏̡r҉̴͞g̶͡y̴̶̧t̕͏d̸͟͢҉̴e͠҉̴̸̛s̴̨͜͞s̶̢̕ ̛͞_

" _You killed him." Hazel eyes gleamed with madness, staring into my soul._

 _Kuroka swallowed. "S-Shirone? Are you—"_

 _Schnick._

 _I watched as her head rolled off her shoulders, eyes widening. This wasn't the kind, cheerful girl that I remembered babysitting. This was closer to the beast I had first met in the forest._

 _The girl wore torn clothing and she was covered in her sister's blood. Now that I took the time to look, I could finally see what was wrong with the girl. Her magic was no longer the pure white of Senjutsu, but rather a putrid black. Her eyes weren't empty, though. No, they burned with pure, unbridled_ rage _._

" _K-Kuro-nee?" Rin whispered._

 _Shirone's head swiveled, eyes regarding the Grimoire. Then, she smiled._

 _And Rin_ shattered _._

 _I watched as the girl broke apart, falling to pieces in an instant. Shirone's arm darted out, picking a small book from the remains. She looked me dead in the eye, smiling cruelly, and began to pour corrupt Chakra into it._

 _The book_ screamed _._

" _One left." Shirone whispered, smile remaining in place as the book in her hands slowly broke apart into black ash._

 _Vali charged forward, screaming a battle cry—and she, too, was killed. Without mercy, without pause. A single stab, and the girl was nothing more than a corpse. A Shade's one weakness—a blow to pierce the heart._

" _And now… you." Her eyes_ burned _. "You… you were the one who killed him."_

 _I took a step back, gritting my teeth. I don't know why I couldn't attack her, why I couldn't stop her from tearing through my friends like paper. I couldn't activate a single one of my powers, no matter how much I tried. It was as if I had forgotten how. All I could do was watch as she approached._

 _No longer a little girl. No longer a simple child. This was a killer, dead set on getting revenge._

" _W-who did I kill?" I managed. "Why did you do this?"_

" _Who?" She tilted her head, almost smiling. But not in mirth, no, in something distinctly worse that looked a lot like rage. "Who did you kill? You killed my Light. You killed the one I loved most of all." Her eyes flashed, and black flames burst to life in her hands. "You killed the only one who didn't betray me, the only one who would_ never _betray me. You killed him, you took advantage of his kindness and tricked him into letting you- letting you-" She choked on the words, shaking her head. No, it wasn't just her head that was shaking. It was her whole body, trembling in rage and grief._

"… _Okay?" I tried, reaching for Time Pause. She was obviously mentally unbalanced. "Whoever it was, I might be able to bring him back."_

" _Liar." She hissed, eyes darkening. Her white hair was almost completely black now, stained with the grudges she carried. "LiarliarliarLIAR—" She broke off, taking a deep breath and extinguishing the flames in her hands. "No. You don't deserve a simple death. You deserve to forget. To forget everything you ever knew and loved. To forget how to live, to breathe, to_ exist _."_

 _I took another step back. She was beyond reasoning now. I felt her begin to summon her power, taking a deep breath to speak._

 _ **I serve but one Master,**_

 _ **For I am his alone.**_

 _ **He is the one who saved me.**_

 _I blinked at the warped words, trying to make sense of them. They carried a sense of finality, like she was carrying out a sentence._

 _ **Little boy, living in a house**_

 _ **where a name meant nothing**_

 _ **could take you to distances—**_

 _I stepped back, frowning in confusion. My mind was becoming oddly muddled, and I could no longer feel the Curse suppressing my emotions. What was going on?_

 _ **Reaching past the towers of Babylon**_

 _ **turning solar systems into symbols**_

 _ **causing comets to collide**_ _._

 _I glanced to the side, noticing the fallen body of a white-haired girl. Wait, when had that gotten there?_

 _ **They turned to one another**_

 _ **not knowing what to make of the boy**_

 _ **trying to calculate**_

 _ **the distance between madness and genius—**_

 _I tried to force myself to remember, to think back to when the fight had started, but it was like trying to grasp smoke._

 _ **In truth, it is but an illusion.**_

 _Fight? We were fighting? Was this a fight? I glanced at the cat-eared girl, confused. I opened my mouth to ask my question…_

 _ **Forever lost, always there,**_

 _ **But never Forgotten.**_

 _And I stopped. How was I supposed to speak, again? It had something to do with air and my vocal chords, but I wasn't quite sure. Wait, what was I even going to say?_

 _I blinked, trying to grasp at information around me. Long blue hair traced down my shirt, too long for a typical male. Did that mean I was a girl? Even looking down at myself didn't reveal much, my eyes going blurry as I continued to wander through the endless mist without purpose. Was there more that I needed to remember? What else could I possibly remember? Did I have a home? Where was I from? Who had put me in this terrible place?_

 _ **Step into my realm.**_

 _ **Speak of what you desire.**_

 _ **Allow your dreams to manifest.**_

 _ **Let them fade like the forgotten past.**_

 _I was starting to get tired, but my feet continued their needless journey, trudging along without any form of enthusiasm. I didn't even know why I walked, just that I was walking for a reason. An important reason. I had to stop… something._

 _ **For all the terrible struggles.**_

 _ **For all the unattainable dreams.**_

 _ **We lay them all to rest.**_

 _Thoughts began to drain away from my mind like a sieve, barely able to even hold the most important information about myself. Gone were such useless pieces of knowledge like education, friends and family or age. Birthdays of friends and other important dates were thrown out of the window without worry and the name of my home was completely lost without issue. It was barely able to recall the basic ability to walk, how to count and use the strange spells it had at its disposal being way more disposable. Words were left to drift away on the wind, thoughts becoming gibberish as they refused to be materialized, all of the languages gifted to it fleeing as if they were in a war zone. What was this place? There was certainly a lot of… no, what was it? Why was there a lot of it?_

 _ **I sing alone, my Requiem for a Dream.**_

 _My world dissolved into blackness, and the being known as 'me' ceased to exist._

 **…**

 _ **Report complete.**_

 _ **Error #!%#: Fixed**_

 _ **Restarting from last known point of reference…**_

* * *

Across from me, a red-haired man sat with his chin resting on his folded hands. His blue-green eyes danced with mischief, and his smile was invitingly friendly. He wore rectangular glasses and a pure white lab coat over a shirt with hoodie. "Hello, there," he said cheerfully.

I raised an eyebrow, my Eyes unable to pierce the obvious disguise. "If you're going to mimic the Red Man, at least make your eyes less friendly. His were a portal to pure madness, not shallow pools of interest. Nice try, though. You're a perfect replica of his image, even if you don't have the same Aura."

He shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I gave it my best. What do you think?" He rose, giving a dramatic twirl.

"I think there's only one kind of magic in this world that my Eyes can't pierce." I told him, beginning to draw on my power in case I had to make a quick getaway. "So tell me… what kind of deity are you?"

The unknown god smiled.

It was not a nice smile.

Yet… for some odd reason… I felt that I had **seen this somewhere before…**

"I'm not sure why, but this form seems remarkably hard to hold." The unknown god remarked, sitting back down. "Couldn't tell you why, though."

"Existance outside the domain." I remarked drily, shaking off the odd sense of déjà vu. "It means your Domain is effectively useless against him. It's fine when he's six, but it gets really irritating when you're fighting a neigh-immortal terrorist who has no reservations against ending your life."

He winced, his form shifting and stretching. "I see." His voice warped, becoming deeper. "That would explain quite a bit. I meant to give you a bit of a surprise, but it would seem my plan has backfired."

He brushed off his suit, no longer even remotely childlike. No, now he stood wearing a fine, forest-green suit with his midnight hair slicked back. He wore no armor or symbols of power, but an air of nobility exuded from him. Yet all of that was ruined by the fact that he looked _exactly like_ Tom Hiddleton.

"I see what you did there." I remarked drily. "Gathering faith from the masses using a disguise?"

He shrugged. "It worked just fine, actually. And you'll find that the best roles take place when the character plays the actor, not the other way around. Like Stark, or Deadpool."

"Fair enough." I glanced around the antique-looking room. It was rather large, but held nothing but the table the two of us sat at. "Is this where you reveal to me your plan to destroy the world?"

He blinked. "Why on _earth_ would I want to end the world! If anything, I have a grudge against my own pantheon for all their tomfoolery and false press regarding me." He shook his head irritably. "I mean honestly, who the hell fucks a _horse_ of the _same_ _gender_ as them? And I was never _married_ , no girl would come near me after Thor's 'popular kids' gave me a bad rep." He shook his head, sighing. "No, I much prefer the mortal world. In the realm of the gods, they look down on those who take another face and act in a different manner, calling them tricksters and cowards. Here, they call them actors, lawyers, or politicians."

My lips twitched. "I take your point. The mortal world treats you better than the Godly realm. Now, why did you divert my teleport?"

He smiled. "Two reasons. One, I want to know where you got that _lovely_ set of eyes. Two, I'd like to propose an alliance."

"An alliance." I repeated, ignoring the first part. "Why would I ally myself with you?"

He shrugged. "Well, as you might have gathered, I'm not a war god. My combat abilities are negligible at best, and what little I can do is limited to trickery and general persuasion. _But_." He gave me a secret smile, putting a finger to his lips. "I know things. I've lived since the dawn of time, and unlike my foolish cousins, I've travelled quite a bit. You're a young god, whose abilities are yet to fully develop. Yet I can smell Chronos's blood on you, which means you're at least a decent fighter. I propose a trade—I become your advisor of sorts, and you protect me for the duration of my tenure."

I raised an eyebrow, feeling his Authority bash ineffectively against the Curse of the Wendigo. "Okay, first? If you're going to make up a bullshit story, at least add a bit more truth. I could tell you weren't even trying with that one. Second, I want something a bit more _substantial_ than a vague offer of information. If you want an alliance, we need a solid contract with defined rules and consequences if we break them. I can hardly judge you for what others have made you, so I prefer not to let my preconceptions cloud my judgement. So. Again, from the top. No bullshit."

He shrugged. "Well, you can't fault me for trying. I've never Charmed a Wendigo before." He cleared his throat. "So. I can see from your mind-body duality that you've figured out Aspects, at least. I don't doubt that you're discovering the trials and tribulations that come with that. But what you have to understand is… eventually, one side or another is going to get more power. As stories are told of you, one of your traits will always be more dominant than the rest."

"Leading to a power play." I guessed.

"Exactly." He confirmed. "Especially so in my case. See, my cousins' tales of my cowardice and treachery eventually backfired on them as my believers shifted from honest pranksters to genuinely dangerous rebels. I obviously preferred not to deal with whatever stories they had cooked up, and just created an Aspect to deal with the issue while I whiled away my days at the palace library. But as tales of my childish pranks were replaced with crueler and harsher versions of the same stories, as my occasional spat with my siblings became something more sinister, the Aspect I had made to absorb all that power became just as the legends had told of him. Vain, prideful, arrogant, and cruel to the extreme."

I winced. "I can see where this is going."

"Indeed. One could very easily see the literal manifestation of Treachery stabbing you in the back, so I struck a bargain with him while he was still weak. We each took half our power, and went our separate ways. Nowadays I'm a harmless Trickster, while he's a power of Treachery vile enough to corrode even the whitest of hearts." He snorted. "I doubt my senile old father even noticed as he took over my position in court. Or even when he lost his shapeshifting powers and focused more on magic."

I thought back to what I knew of Norse myths and nodded. "Sounds about right."

He chuckled, stepping back. "Well, that's my story. I'm just a trickster who's trying to escape his alter ego. He might have all the magic, but I've got all the knowledge."

I glanced over him, briefly utilizing Time Pause to let my Scrying go unnoticed.

 **(God of Mischief)  
[** **Loki** **Laufeyson]  
{Race: Divine Spirit}  
[Lv. ?]  
{Status: Desperate, Cursed (Weakness)}**

"There's something you're not telling me." I remarked, eyes narrowing. "I don't take well to lies, Mischief. I may be young, but I hold the power of the Titan Chronos. If there is something you're hiding, you'll find this alliance will quickly sour."

He held up his hands defensively. "I hide nothing that I have not shared with you save for that which the All-Father has sworn me to secrecy on. I swear it on my **Name**."

There was a _thrum_ from the world around us. I blinked. "That's new."

"Quite old, actually. Name-bound oaths are my favorite kind, since they invoke no power outside of yourself." His lips twitched. "If you break it, though, you are forever Nameless until the day you die. It's… not a pleasant way to go. One can't say 'I like green' or 'I dislike pork' because to do so would be to Name yourself. You become less and less human until you're just a raging beast harnessing a god's power. Then every other god in existence pretty much joins together in ripping you apart."

"That's… nice." I remarked drily. "But you're avoiding the question. You're desperate right now. Why?"

He spread his hands, looking sheepish. "Well… you may have gathered that my other half doesn't take kindly to a 'fake' such as myself. I do hold half of his power, after all, and every time he tries to gain more I respond by making another one of my personas famous. Add in the fact that I hold all the arcane knowledge he needs in order to attempt a coup, and suddenly I'm his number one target."

"I see." I tilted my head. "So when you left me to assume your other half was after you, you left out the bit that he's after you _right now_."

He blinked. "Well… I mean yes, but I had my reasons for—"

"Don't care." I interrupted. "Let's say I help you get your power back. What will you do with the Aspect if you get him back?"

He hummed for a moment. "Well… see. We both want the same thing. To remain separate. We cannot kill each other, so we plan to recombine and take the other's power. Then we will eject the, for lack of a better term, 'husk' back into the world. While we are the same entity, we share thoughts, memories, and ideals. The dominant Aspect has the ability to force these ideals upon its' lesser, which is what I plan to do. There are many places he could blend in with the mortal world to practice his lies and falsehood while doing minimal damage. Lawyers, for instance. Or salesmen. He would be happy, and I would make sure he didn't regain power."

"You plan to re-separate, then?" I checked.

He frowned. "Well, yes. I quite like being able to hold a decent conversation with my business partners without having the compulsive urge to stab them in the back for no reason whatsoever. If I never kept a bargain, no one would ever bargain with me."

"Which is why you're bargaining with _me_ , the newest kid on the block." I remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"That's not it at all." He assured me. "I just noticed your birth due to some followers of mine reporting it and wished to find you before something nastier did. Rest assured, no other god knows of your existence. Tartarus did an excellent job of shielding your, ah, 'signal'. Like when you take a cell phone underground."

I nodded, leaning back. "Well, I have to say, I'm impressed. In this whole conversation, you've only lied twice."

He stiffened. "Excuse me?"

I waved a hand, golden light forming in my palm. "I might not be able to wield Touki, but I can still borrow the power of Nature to suit my needs. What do you think my Aspect was doing this entire time?"

"Of course." He murmured, examining me more closely. "No wonder you're emotionless. You gave them to your counterpart. Impressive way of skirting the Wendigo's emotional suppression, I must say."

I shrugged. "It functions. That's all I really care about. But for now…" I reached into my Gem, pulling out a pad of paper and activating Time Pause. _'I trust you have a contract written up already?'_

' _ **You know me too well. Give me control for a sec.'**_

I forfeited control, sinking back into my mind and opening my Sight to its' fullest. It seemed that Loki was actually genuine in his intentions, or at least he was in all the versions of the future that I Saw. While it did grate me to trust someone that made his name by playing nasty tricks, I much preferred being trained by an actual god rather than trying my fate with a possibly insane six-year-old that I couldn't See. Better the Devil you know than the Devil you don't.

' _ **All done.'**_ Instinct reported. _**'I even added a few… 'personal'… twists you might not've thought of.'**_

I smiled, swapping places with my Aspect. _'Thanks. Remind me to get you some ice cream.'_

' _ **I don't know how you can stand it in that restricting form of yours…'**_ Instinct grumbled. I ignored him, unpausing time.

"Here." I slid the paper across the table, internally smirking at the shaky handwriting. _'I see why you're so pithy. You suck at fine motor control!'_

' _ **Oi, my control is fine! I'm just… not meant to exist in your world. It's weird wearing your body when I'm so used to the mindscape. Here, I just push my will and it becomes reality. It's your world that sucks.'**_

Loki finished looking over the document, glancing up. "This is fairly comprehensive. I can spot a few flaws, but they're workable. But I must ask. Why does the non-violence clause use the phrase 'no _lasting_ harm'?"

' _ **Heheheheheh…'**_

' _I see what you did there. That could be useful for Memento Mori.'_

I shrugged. "Let's be real here. One day one of us is going to snap and punch the other. In this case probably you. Plus, if we had to, we could pull a 'betrayal' stunt where you literally stab me in the back." I tapped the pad of paper. "This way, we don't get the full brunt of the contract for minimal or accidental harm."

"I see." He clapped his hands, and the air rippled. From nowhere, a long piece of vellum formed and stretched until it fit all the text on the page. "This should suffice, then."

I took the vellum sheet, looking it over with my Eyes. It said basically the same thing as mine did, albeit in more flowery language. At the very end, a new clause stated simply that 'If both parties at any time come to a mutual agreement in dissolving this Accord, it shall be null and void with no penalties served.'

"It looks good." I decided. "Where do I sign?"

He shook his head. "You don't _sign_ , per se. It's Olde Magick, drawing on ancient governances set by gods long dead. There will be no sharing of True Names, so verbal consent as an oath will suffice."

I nodded once. "All right, then. I swear on my **Name** that I will uphold the terms of this contract."

The oath felt like… well, it's hard to describe. It felt like someone had run a finger over the source of my magic. Not the human magic, though, which made me grin. If I ever broke my oath, I could easily just go back and fix it with my Eyes.

"Your turn." I told him.

He nodded. "I swear on my **Name** that I will uphold the terms of this contract."

There was another _shift_ in the world, and the vellum dissolved into dust.

"Great." I muttered, staring at the dust pile. "So… what now?"

He gave me a wide smile. "Well, I would suggest we move to somewhere more private. It's time I taught you some basic skills to being a god."

He clapped his hands, and our surroundings changed. I blinked, glancing about. We were now in a large parlor, overlooking the sea in a cliffside view. The walls were almost entirely glass, with only the faintest shimmer of magic tipping me off to their otherworldly properties. I shifted, glancing down at the plush couch beneath me. "Nice décor." I commented.

He shrugged, reclining in his seat. He swirled a glass of what looked like brandy, taking a sip. "Well, having a base is the most important part of being a god. If you establish your Domain around you within the country that grants you the most faith, you're practically invincible within its' walls. Chronos survived having his front sliced open and having several gods jump out, and then he regenerated after being chopped to pieces with his own weapon. This place?" He gestured about. "Is a tapestry of illusions the likes of which has never been seen in the mortal realms. If I hadn't allowed you in, you never would've found it."

I nodded slowly, glancing around. "So… what am I doing here, then?"

He set his glass on the small table beside him. "Well, if I'm to be teaching you, I'd rather know a bit about you first so I know what I'm working with. Clause… two, I believe, of the contract we signed stated that we keep each other's secrets." He gestured to the room around us. "This place is neigh-impenetrable, and none know of it but me. You can speak in full comfort knowing that your secrets are safe with me."

I raised an eyebrow, deciding to keep my 'marker' back before I had left my mansion for now. If this backfired, I would know to go back and try again _without_ Loki. "All right…" I said, tilting my head back. "Where should I begin?"

"Try your Domain." He suggested. "You start at when you discovered it and work from there."

"Okay." I hummed for a moment. "Well, to start with, I'm a God of Fate. I can see the fu—" I heard a spit take, and glanced over at Loki. "You all right, there?"

"I-I'm sorry, but did you say _fate_?" He spluttered.

I blinked. "Um, yes?"

"You're positive?" He checked. "It's not something similar like Causality?"

I shook my head. "Nope. It's Fate. I have control of Time and Death in equal measure."

"You must keep your Authority secret from everyone, even your most trusted companions." He urged, suddenly glancing about as if we were being watched. "Gods of Fate are treated as proof of absolute power. The head of a pantheon always has at least one at his beck and call. They are exceedingly rare and extremely powerful. Tell me, what limits do you have to your power?"

I blinked. "Limits?"

He nodded. "Yes. The Fates of the Greeks have only one eye, which they share between them. The Norns of my kind can only define one's time of death and are incapable of interfering elsewhere. And in all cases, it's always multiple gods with each seeing either the past, present, or future. So do you have two others hidden somewhere safe?"

I raised an eyebrow. "…No, I'm all three. Retrocognition, Clairvoyance, and Precognition all fall within my Domain. And I don't really know what my limits on defining Fate are quite yet, but I already have a priestess, so I should know soo—"

"You have a _priestess_!?" He interrupted, eyes wide. "In this age?"

I shrugged uncomfortably. "It just kind of… happened."

He nodded slowly, considering. "I see. Gods of Fate don't tend to have religious sects, but you're an Aberrant God, so you're a bit of an exception anyway."

"Back up." I interrupted. "Aberrant God?"

He waved me off. "It's what we call gods that don't belong to a religion. The Christian God was once one as well, before the whole mess with the Israelites. But as I was saying before, priestesses are a sign of growing power. Even at the height of my power, I only ever had a few. And if you already have one before you've even gotten started… that could be very dangerous."

I felt my stomach drop. "Explain." I all but ordered him.

He held up his hands defensively. "I understand you are concerned, but please remember that I'm a noncombatant."

I blinked, noticing my Presence for the first time. "…Sorry about that." I muttered, pulling it in.

"Not a problem." He assured me, relaxing slightly. "Many younger gods have issues with their Presence. With time, you'll be able to keep it in check."

I frowned. "Wait, Presence is a skill that all gods have?"

He nodded, focusing. I felt the air… _chill_ slightly. A feeling like I was standing on the edge of a razor slammed into me, making my paranoia ramp up to _holy-shit-run_ levels. I forced it away, making the elder god chuckle. "Yes. All gods have Presence. It's the emphasis of their Authority on the physical world. But please, back to the topic at hand. Your priestess is likely untrained, yes?"

I shrugged. "Depends. What do you mean by 'trained'?"

"Has she felt your Presence before?"

I nodded. "Yeah, several times."

He nodded, as if he had just confirmed something. "Then at least she knows what to reach for if she's in danger. The first time she tries to use your power, you may feel a slight _tug_ , but you must let it happen. Once the connection is established, she can use your power to cause miracles in your name. As a God of Fate, her duties will likely revolve around healing the sick and similarly changing the course of destiny. It's ultimately up to you, though."

I considered that for a moment, but decided to wait for now. I could hash out the details with Valiant when I next met her. "All right, then. So how do these 'miracles' work?"

He shrugged. "Well, it's essentially just you using your power to impose your will upon the World. The more people who believe in you, the more 'weight' your will has, and the simpler it is to edit what's already there. Nothing much to it. You just…" He waved a hand, and a second chair appeared. "Do it."

I glanced at my hand. "I don't think I could do that."

"Of course not." The chair dissolved into particles, leaving nothing but air. "I was recognized as a God of Magic, so I can use magic as I desire. You're a God of Fate, so your power would lie more along the lines of redirecting an existing chair into this room. Perhaps it falls through the ceiling or the like. But creating something out of nothing? Not in your job description."

"I see." I muttered. "Is that it, then? Just… work on what I have?"

He shrugged. "Well, I _could_ show you how to extend the range of your power…"

* * *

"All right, Rin. Are you sure you want to come with?" I checked one last time.

She made a face at me. "I can fend for myself, thanks. Father made sure my form could survive a point-blank nuclear weapon when he was designing me. Even if I didn't have any magic, I could still take anything he threw at me."

I raised an eyebrow, glancing at Kuroka. She gave the smallest of nods, smiling. I took that as confirmation of Rin's words. "So do you want to go with, too?" I asked instead, tilting my head at her.

"No thanks." She replied instantly. "I'd rather stay here and take care of the mansion." She gave Rin a fond look. "As much as I love the girl, Rin doesn't know the first thing about decoration."

' _And you do?'_ I bit my tongue before the words could leave my mouth, turning away. "All right, then. Let's get going."

I tucked a binder beneath my arm, stretching out a hand and concentrating. A magic circle flickered to life, gleaming dully. I grimaced. Spatial Magic was never my thing, and I doubt I'd ever be as good at it as a true practitioner. It still functioned somewhat, though, and that was what mattered. Rin and I stepped into the center of the Circle, the world dissolving around us to reveal the living room of Loki's mansion.

"Good morning." Loki greeted slowly, eyeing the papers I held. Rin slipped off to the side, sitting in a chair. "What are those?"

I held them out to him. "Well, yesterday you just kind of dropped this whole thing on me, so last night I made a list of things I wanted to ask about."

He blinked, taking the list as I offered it to him. "Of course. Well, let's see." He glanced over it, flipping pages. "This is quite a lot of questions."

I shrugged. "I prefer to be prepared."

"I see that." He turned back to the first page, clearing his throat. "Well, I'll take these one at a time. First, it is absolutely possible to perform resurrections. However, unless you expend nearly all of your life force in order to forge a 'link' between you and the afterlife, you must first go to the Afterlife to retrieve their Spirit."

My eyes narrowed. " _The_ Afterlife?"

He nodded. "The afterlife of the Pantheon you're a part of. For me, it would be Hel. I would have to not only reach that frozen wasteland, but also convince or defeat Hela before gaining access to the land of lost souls. I would have to fight off every damned being that wished to return to the Living, all the while searching for one faceless entity amongst many. Even if I spent a thousand years hunting, I might not even know the Spirit I sought if I were right in front of it."

I grimaced. "That sounds… disturbing. Is there any chance that my Pantheon or whatever won't have that problem?

"Finding an afterlife that made all its' inhabitants comfortable and happy while allowing them to retain their freedom?" He snorted. "I think you'd have a higher chance of besting the Great Red in single combat."

"Great." I sighed, rubbing my eyes. "So how might I find my 'Pantheon'? You called me an Aberrant God before, doesn't that mean

"Not at all. In fact, it makes it even more likely." He began smoothly. "For instance, if I were to come to existence as an Aberrant God of Trickery, another would come into being as the Aberrant God of Truth. Our Domains would gradually grow as our power did, until they met in the middle. Perhaps I would gain Domain over Death, and my other the Domain over Life. The Balance maintains itself in this way, and it's not inaccurate to say that it's impossible to form a Pantheon without a counterpart." He gestured vaguely upward. "Even the Christian God eventually had his child betray him and become a pseudo-god with the Domains of Evil and Debauchery."

"So you're saying that somewhere out there I have a counterpart that's my complete opposite?" I considered the idea. "You know, I actually believe that. Every power I've gained so far has had an equivalent drawback or price, so I can see Divinity being the same." I glanced over at Rin, who had been silent thus far. "Any ideas?"

She held up a hand, the emblem of the Author glowing to life. A gleaming '幽霊', something I knew meant 'spirit' or 'ghost'. "Perhaps you weren't the first of your kind." She said softly.

I blinked. "Wait, so you're saying that the Author—"

"No. He's not a god." She interrupted. "Not now, at least. He wants to become one, yes, but that will take some time."

I nodded slowly. "So the Author gained a Domain, or some equivalent, and thus one of his Grimoires fell into my hands."

She nodded. "I was never supposed to leave his side. It was supposed to be impossible for the spell hiding me to malfunction, yet it did so in such a way that I was casually tossed into the recycling on the exact day that the paper plant was picking up the Maou's trash. My Father doesn't believe in coincidence, and neither do I."

"Huh." I grunted. "Chances of him holding the Afterlife in our Pantheon?"

"One hundred percent." She said immediately. "It's a Reality Marble that holds the Spirits of those who have unfulfilled dreams."

I blinked. "I'm… honestly not that surprised by that. That just _sounds_ like him. So he's, what, the pseudo-god of Madness and Dreams?"

She nodded seriously, apparently not getting the joke. "Yes."

I made a mental note to teach the Grimoire what humor was. "Well, if he's Dreams and Madness, what am I?" I asked instead.

"Illusions and Forethought." She replied easily.

"Huh."

"Pardon me." Loki cut in irritably. "But I feel I'm missing some vital information here."

I blinked, turning back to him. "Ah. Right. Um, the Author is a being of unknown power that wrote a series of four—"

"Three."

"—three Books, all of which have since evolved into Grimoires."

Loki's gaze shifted to Rin. "I'll admit, I was wondering about that. What's your name?"

"I was Titled 'A Dream Unfulfilled' by my Father." She said proudly, puffing out her chest."

"And your… sisters?" He tried.

"Rikki, Tikki, and Kuroyukihime. Or, as they are Titled, 'Universal Forces' and 'Black Testament'." She shrugged. "I don't know what knowledge they contain, though."

"I see." His eyes narrowed. "Does this… 'Author' deliberately create Grimoires?"

"Oh, no." She shook her head. "Father didn't want us to ever Wake, because he didn't want to be responsible for creating sentient life. But they started Waking once I did for some reason. They're not completely awake, and only Hime has access to the mana needed to Evolve. Right now they're just Books waiting to Wake. But they still have enough of themselves to create personalities, and that's what counts."

The old god blinked, seeming just as confused as I was. He decided not to press it, though, probably electing to avoid further confusion. "Thank you for your explanation." He said politely, bowing his head to Rin before turning back to me. "Now. You say that the Author is your Counterpart?"

I nodded once. "It sounds like it."

"All right. That makes things easier." He levelled me with a sharp look. "Listen to me, Dee. Whatever you do, _never_ face him in combat. Your Counterpart will be able to counter you in every conceivable way possible, because his powers will mirror yours. I only ever managed to kill my Counterpart by tricking another god into doing it for me."

I blinked. "Wait, who—"

"Baldr."

"Ah." I considered his words for a moment. "All right, so my best chance of beating him, should we ever fight, is to get someone else to do it?"

"Pretty much." The old god agreed.

"Wonderful." I mumbled. "Juuuust wonderful."

"Indeed." Loki glanced back down at the all-but-forgotten list in his hands. "Now, for the second item on the list…"

I sighed. This was going to take a while.

* * *

 _Valiant_

* * *

 **I** glanced sidelong at my grandfather, who looked to be a middle-aged man in his 40's with dark silver hair and hazel eyes. He looked almost unnervingly like my father—

 _PainpainpleasestopFORGET—_

—but I decided not to hold that against him. No, what disturbed me was the bottomless and creepy aura he exerted at all times. Even though he had been nothing but polite and helpful, I still found myself avoiding him whenever possible.

"My dear, what seems to be the issue?"

I blinked, shaken from my thoughts. "A-ah… nothing, grandfather."

"Well, good." He smiled, but the effect was ruined by the murder in his eyes. "I wouldn't want you to get too… _uncomfortable_ … while you're here."

I hefted my suitcase, glancing warily up the long staircase that supposedly led to my new room.

I found myself wishing that Dee was here.

But still… there was something I needed from the old creep.

"Where's the maid who's going to be teaching me?" I asked quietly.

"Ah…" Rizevim hesitated. "My dear… are you sure you want to—"

"Yes." My grip tightened on my bag. "Yes I am. I want to learn to be a maid."

"If I may ask… _why_?"

I smiled faintly.

"… _You could always be my maid." Dee commented._

"I have my reasons." I stated, locking my eyes with his. "Let's just say I owe it to someone."

His gaze hardened, but he didn't press. "Then of _course_. You are my precious granddaughter, after all, and after hearing what happened to your _dear father_ … I'd be happy to help."

Sure you would, you old bag.

Sure you would.

I'll be sleeping with my door firmly locked, thank you very much.

* * *

 _Dee_

* * *

 **I** glanced at the stack of programming manuals. "So let me get this straight. You think my Scrying will be able to get more information if

Loki shook his head. "Not quite. See, Scrying is a delicate art due to its' very nature. Scrying will tell you everything about an object or phenomena, but it has to have a way to fully express itself. If the medium doesn't allow for the fullest extent of the information gathered, then it simply won't display all of it. That's why most divination specialists choose to Scry in dreams, since a dream is only limited by your ability to interpret it."

I blinked. "So… if you know only a part of a language, you can't speak it effectively."

Loki snapped his fingers. "Precisely."

I glanced at the manuals. "And you think these will help me use God's Eyes better?"

"I do."

"All right." I picked up the first manual, labeled 'Learn Java in Ten Days'. "I'll get started on that now, then."

* * *

 _Valiant_

* * *

 **I** opened my eyes, squinting up at a light above me. Cold stone pressed against my back, a familiar sensation. I sighed, my eyes fluttering shut.

"Ah, you're awake!" My grandfather's delighted voice called. "Now that you're—"

"You're going to torture and/or experiment on me, aren't you." I deadpanned.

He paused. "…Well, yes, but—"

"Knew it." I shut my eyes, sighing. "Well, I'm afraid I'm not going to be a willing participant."

"My, my, how polite." The man taunted, still outside of my field of vision.

"A maid's manner reflects upon her household." I quoted immediately.

"Ah, yes, your maid fixation. I'll admit, it got rather _old_ after the first day." He snarled. "Gah, a mighty Lucifer serving as a common maid? What was my idiot son _thinking_ having a wench like you?"

"He wasn't." I smiled politely. "I was an unplanned pregnancy. He made sure I knew that. I was an unwanted danger, a smear on the family name. So please, try something that hasn't been done before."

"Oh?" He was amused now. "Where did this newfound spine of yours come from? I never saw _this_ when I was trying to activate your Sacred Gear."

"You repeatedly beat me senseless." I deadpanned. "And I don't even know if I _have_ a Sacred Gear, let alone how to activate it."

"Of course not, you useless—" He broke off, taking a deep breath. "Well. That doesn't matter now. You might be a disappointment, but at least you have a working body. I can use that, at least."

I froze, my body turning cold. I had thought he might get close, give me the chance to fight him off. But from the sound of it…

"It's a simple plan, really." The old Devil continued, sounding incredibly smug. "I'm shocked I didn't think of it earlier. See, there's a lovely ritual that allows one to draw power from the deceased Spirits still clinging to this realm. A trifle thing, really, an ancient spell not often used because of the consequences. But see, people misunderstand the _usefulness_ of this spell."

My back was cold from the stone beneath me, but that wasn't the reason for the chill down my spine.

"Whenever a caster fails to take the proper precautions to keep themselves safe, whenever they lack the fortitude needed to keep back the Spirits, they become overwhelmed. They become possessed by them in both mind and body." Rizevim continued, his voice moving as footsteps sounded. "But the genius part is… the spell calls on _all_ Spirits, not just the free ones. That lovely Sacred Gear of yours is a part of your very _soul_. A direct line into its' new body." He chuckled. "Other Spirits will attack as well, yes, but pitiful remnants can't compare to the might of a Heavenly Dragon. When you rise once more, you will be nothing but a memory."

My eyes widened. "You assume that any Spirits you summon would be evil. What if you get a hero like Siegfried instead?" I asked, a bit desperately. I strained at my bonds, immediately realizing they cut off my magic. Damn.

"Please." The Devil dismissed. "Any Spirit who answers the call is one with the intent of trying its' luck possessing you. And any Spirit twisted enough to take your form must first destroy your mind. Evil is just a matter of perspective, though, and they'll just be trying to survive." He paused. "But yes, they will most likely be evil. Serial killers, rapists, the worst of all men and Devils. They will fill you for a time, but fear not. The Dragon slumbering within you will be awakened as well, and your suffering will be short."

I realized with a start that this was my grandfather's twisted idea of 'mercy'. That he thought it was a kindness to be killed quickly. "You think I'll just stay here and take it?" I spat, trying to keep the panic from my voice.

"Yes." He said bluntly. "I do. _Csaergnin._ " I hissed as the shackled tightened against my skin, Holy power burning into my flesh.

The Devil began to chant, even as my struggles increased. I felt my skin dissolve, my blood spilling as I tried against all odds to escape my bonds. Colored lights flickered to life above me, a red angry whirl of hatred and malice. They flashed and burned as they began to taper into a funnel, like water into a drain. Then they touched my skin, and I felt myself begin to scream.

And the world went black.

Pain ripped through my skull, furious and agonizing. I crouched down, curling into myself, awayaway _away_ from the pain, holding my head in my folded arms, leaning against… something. I was hiding, I knew that. I could hear the sounds of a great battle behind me, the clash of hideous entities ripping each other apart. And so I did what a little girl should… I hid.

" _Girl."_

A deep growling voice spoke to me, but I couldn't bear it. I buried my head deeper into my arms.

" _Girl… wake yourself. There is much to be done."_

I opened my eyes briefly, and glanced around. I sat against the belly of a large white dragon, with large feathery wings and a deep blue underbelly. It didn't just have scales, no, it had _fur_. It… he… was a truly monstrous being with blue eyes and two gold horns, easily dwarfing the mansion I knew my body rested in. But glimmering chains bound its' form, shifting and clanking as it moved. The chains wound around me as well, telling me all I needed to know.

I continued to look, taking in my surroundings with practiced ease. I was in a dark dungeon, one that was eerily familiar. Stone dug into my legs and the scent of rot filled my nose. There was no light, but my night vision let me see perfectly well. The battle continued to rage, but it was clearly on the other side of the Dragon. I instead continued to observe, noting one structure that was visible even from where I lay. A statue of Dee, calmly holding out his arms for an embrace. It was of white marble, the only bright part in the world of darkness. I dared not move towards it, for fear of announcing its' presence to the attacking monsters.

" _Girl. Listen to me. You must fight, conquer your fear and rise above it."_ A deep rumbled harshly. _"Like it or not we are bound together, and these beings feed on your darkness. So rise above it, and take up arms."_

I shivered, curling tighter into a ball. I wasn't a warrior. I never even lifted a blade. The one time I won was when Dee saved me. What little courage I had came from him, and not even he could help me now.

" _So what, you'll just roll over and die?"_ The Dragon snorted. _"Even a little girl can fell a giant. Even a peasant with a blade can kill a king."_

"But I have neither." I protested quietly.

" _No. You don't. But your claws are sharp and your bite is vicious. We are in this together, girl, and until these demons are destroyed we must work as one."_

I clenched my fists. "I didn't ask for this!" I screamed. "I didn't want any of this! I was happy until you ruined my life!"

Maniacal screams of delight reached my ears, and a wounded roar came from the Dragon.

" _So take it out on me later!"_ He snarled, rage filling my skull. _"Once we win this, we can tear each other apart! Now fight, girl, fight like your life depends on it because it_ does! _"_

But I couldn't. Memories came to me now, tormenting visions that showed thousands of different lives. Rizevim had been right… no creature fighting was one that deserved to live. I could see the live of a serial killer his kills the bodies he had stacked upon his conscience, the deaths he had caused. A sorcerer wielding a cursed blade that took a kingdom by storm, killing some by sword and others by magic. I saw each and every memory is crystal clear detail.

A voice boomed through my mind. _"YOU MUST FIGHT IT!"_

"WHY WOULD I?" I screamed back.

" _YOU WANT TO SEE HIM AGAIN, DON'T YOU?"_

And in that moment, the battle paused.

"Yes." I whispered, closing my eyes. "Yes, I do."

I took hold of my own memories, drawing strength from the long hours spent speaking with the kind god. The boy who smiled, even though he knew more of the terrible world than even I. The boy who offered a future, a plan, a _hope_ that I might one day be able to stand by his side and smile along with him.

I forced my leaden limbs to move, the wrath surging through my bones becoming mine as well. And with the strength given to me by my fondest memories… I stepped out to look upon my foe.

Before me stood a great army of demons, wielding various strange and outlandish weapons. A simple rope whip with a spiked metal ball the size of my head attached to the end, a huge meat cleaver like blade as broad as himself, a curved and spiraling pitchfork, a huge curved scimitar, a tri-bladed broad sword… the list went on. They and the demons that held them were utterly uncountable, if one were to try by the time you finished, if you ever did, they would have changed so much in color, shape, weapon or position that you would be unsure if they were even the same one.

But three stood out from the crowd, black skinned and massive. They towered over the group, giving orders in a strange confusing language that I was sure would drive people mad if they listened too long.

"I…" I whispered, trembling. "I don't know if I can…"

" _I_ _will aid you in this fight, but you must help me."_ The Dragon chained to my side rumbled. _"For without you, this battle cannot be won. So flex your talons, young Dragonling. Your time comes near."_

I nodded once, taking a deep breath, and stepped forward. With my hands curled into claws and my nails impossibly sharp, I charged. The glorious white dragon let loose a vicious roar, giving me the courage to keep charging even as I faltered. The hoard matched my charge, their forms surging forth in a mass of pure destruction.

My hands ripped through demon after demon, the Dragon at my side cutting through their flesh like paper. Few stood for more than three seconds, barely one of them blocked. No one could match us as we cut a bloody path through the horde. I didn't pause to question _how_ , I didn't dare doubt my impossible strength. As long as I could keep moving, I would live.

And then came the first challenge, the first black demon.

It was roughly humanoid, though massive easily twenty feet tall, if not taller, its claws were grotesque, bits of rotting and green skin clung to them. From its great drooling mouth dripped black saliva. Its eyes were a simple black and two antler-like protrusions, the color of stained teeth, sat atop its head.

Its' clawed hand reached down for me, but I rolled to the side. I tore into his legs, biting and clawing like a rabid beast using knife-like teeth and razor claws. It screamed in agony and pulled away, but I continued my berserk charge. I ripped at its' legs, avoiding its kicks as it tried to get rid of me, and the white Dragon flew forwards and covered the demon's chest with sharp ice fragments. Soon the demon was dropped to its knees, its' legs unable to keep it steady as I tore the muscle from its' bones.

Jumping up onto its thigh, I ran up and let my claws tear into its chest. The demon screamed and tried to crush me with its' hand, but I stabbed it again before rolling down, avoiding the beast's claws. With speed that surprised even myself, I ran behind the demon and ripped into its' spine, leaving large gashes in its' flesh.

It tried to fall on me, but I used the opportunity to climb onto its' form as it crashed down onto the ground. It swiped repeatedly at me, but the Dragon kept it busy as I charged up its' broad chest and up to its' hideous face. I wound back and, in a single move, rammed my clawed fist right into its eye socket.

The demon wailed, then faded into black gooey liquid.

I paused for but a moment, chest heaving. The Dragon landed, several wounds visible on his form. I gave him a single nod before rising, flexing my claws once more.

We continued our rampage through the horde, never tiring, but the demons were just as uncountable as before. I somehow knew that the only way we could truly win was to defeat the three biggest demons.

 _One down, two to go._

The next one we found was similar to a cat in shape, only closer to the size of a mansion rather than a common housecat. It had pure white horns that were flat and spiraled, pointed up like two towers upon its head. Its' teeth were pointed and blackened, and its' claws were a dull silver.

This one the Dragon wasted no time on. He sunk his claws into the great beast and flew up, up, up, then allowed the struggling beast to drop. The ground shook as it landed, and I charged in for the kill. My talons ripped through the creature's windpipe, and I watched as it melted like its' predecessor into black goo.

That was when the last and final black demons reared its head.

The white Dragon roared, stumbling, as a pair of ivory teeth sunk into his neck. He lashed out, tearing the beast away and flinging it down. It was shaped like a cobra, only with thin long arms just under its hood. Dull gold horns, like those of a bison, were atop its head.

It struck down, and I barely dodged around its' bite. Acid poured from its' teeth, and the ground burned and sizzled violently.

Acid. Lovely.

Its' hands groped about blindly for me, but I cut at them whenever they got to close. White ice speared down on the serpent, but it surged upwards, slamming into the flying dragon with its horns and sending him crashing to the ground.

Then it turned its' black gaze back to me.

I met its' eyes, defiantly glaring at it. "Come on." I hissed, flexing my gory claws. "Come get me."

It lunged.

I rolled to the right then sliced at its' head, ignoring the burning feeling in my feet as I slipped in acid. Quickly jumping out of the pool, I ran backwards to survey the damage. The serpent reared up, screaming horribly at the large cut that smote through its left eye. I smiled.

And then the cut bubbled and roiled, the missing eye regeneration in a heartbeat.

Oh. Well. Fuck.

My body was torn from the earth, my ribs screaming from the terrible blow. I decided it must've been the creature's tail that hit me, since I didn't feel any acid. The I hit the ground with a sickening crunch and bounced slightly, only to hit once more. I groaned, trying to find my feet. An ivory flash was my only

I stood, trembling for a moment as the fang landed mere millimeters from me.

"Dragon?" I shouted, backing away. "Help!"

" _I'm a bit busy!"_ He called back. _"Help yourself!"_

"HOW?" I shouted incredulously, ducking behind a rock. "I'm fighting a _giant snake demon_ with my _hands_! How on earth do you expect me to win?"

" _REALITY IS FLAWED HERE!"_ The Dragon boomed. _"THE ONLY TEST IS THE STRENGTH OF YOUR SOUL AND YOUR CONVICTIONS! SO FIGHT LIKE LOSING WILL BURN EVERYTHING YOU LOVE!"_

I blinked, lowering my arm. No claws adorned it, no scales protected it. It was just my arm.

I felt my teeth grind together in frustration.

Dammit.

I rose, curling my hands into claws.

' _Damn snake.'_

Step.

' _Damn demons.'_

Step.

' _Damn DRAGON!'_

I shouted a battle cry, charging angrily towards the giant snake. It lashed out at me, but I met its' charge with my own.

"…You're keeping me from my JOB!"

The snake seemed genuinely confused as my clawless hands tore through its' flesh, but it quickly stopped being confused and started being _dead_.

I dropped to the ground, spitting out a clod of black sludge as the remains of the demon rained around me. The horde around me b

" _Finally."_

Only to be stopped where they were as the Dragon's voice echoed through the battlefield.

" _That spell was clever, I'll admit…"_ I swiveled, watching as the Dragon took to the air. He flew higher and higher, the chains between us stretching and clanking. _"But all it managed to do is PISS ME OFF."_

And the world turned white.

I stumbled, vision obscured for a moment. Screams, evil, ungodly screams, echoed throughout the landscape. The other demons slowly fell back into their multicolored blood, and faded into the landscape. I stood, panting, as the darkened world returned to its' choking smog.

I froze, immediately noticing something _odd_ about my new situation. The chains, which I had grown accustomed to fighting with, were gone. And so, I suspected, was my treaty with the Dragon.

" _You would be correct."_ A menacing voice rumbled from behind me.

I whirled, only to look up at the fearsome visage of an enraged Dragon. I swallowed, stepping back. "Um… hi?"

" _Hi."_ He greeted. _"I'm going to kill you now."_

I froze.

" _It's nothing personal, I assure you."_ He continued. _"I just despise the idea of being at a filthy Devil's beck and call, and I've been waiting to tear my bearer apart for the better part of an eon now. You're just the one unlucky enough to actually be faced with my wrath."_

"…I see." I said faintly, taking another step back. "I don't suppose you'll give me a head start?"

He tilted his head, considering the idea. _"…Why not."_ He decided, a feral grin crossing his wicked teeth. _"I could do with a nice chase."_

I turned and bolted, glancing frantically around. The only structure in the featureless dungeon was the statue of Dee, so that became my destination.

I made it all of twenty meters before the Dragon pounced, laughing as he swept me off my feet and sent me bouncing across the uneven ground. I skidded to a halt, forcing myself to my hands and knees to cough up a clod of blood. A pair of talons came down on either side of me, ready to cut me to ribbons.

" _That was fun."_ He mused, his whip-thin tail cracking. _"I want to try a different game, now. It's called 'run faster'. Care to play?"_

I forced myself to my feet, my wounds dripping blood. "Do I get to say no?"

" _See?"_ He chuckled darkly. _"You're catching on already."_

I bolted, this time taking care where I stepped and weaving in an evasive pattern. His tail slammed down a few dozen feet away, accompanied by an amused snort. _"Ah, I seem to have missed."_ He called mockingly.

I gritted my teeth, only running faster. I could feel the ground shake as he moved after me, his smugness only adding to the demented situation. I continued to run until I finally felt another blow, this one harder than the last. I skidded sideways, the sharp stone slicing up my legs.

" _Aaaand, now I'm bored."_ A weight crashed into me, the ground cracking beneath the force of the strike. _"That got old fast. I guess I'll just kill you, now."_

I tried to rise once more, only managing a half-crouch. "Dee…" I whispered shakily, looking up at the statue in the distance. "I-I don't know if you can hear me now…"

" _What are you, praying?"_ The white Dragon asked incredulously.

I glared back, spitting out another spray of blood. "Yes. As a matter of fact, I am."

" _PAH!"_ The Dragon snorted. _"You think your gods will help you?"_

"Gods?" I repeated quietly, forcing myself to my feet. "I never counted on any gods to save me before. I'm not asking the gods to help me. I'm asking my _friend_."

He grinned, fangs sharper than any knife. _"Cute."_

And with that, he lashed out once more. I twisted, flinging myself sideways—

 _Pain._

I gasped, feeling bones snap. The Dragon raised his tail once more, bashing my fallen body into the ground. My ribs shattered instantly, becoming mere powder beneath the weight of the Dragon's might. My lungs could no longer draw air, so I tried to make my thoughts as loud as possible.

' _Dee…'_ I thought desperately, closing my eyes. _'Please, help me. I can't do this alone.'_

" _I told you, girl."_ The Dragon growled in amusement. _"No god can save you now. It would take a miracle larger than the Christian God in his prime could manage for you to even stand a chance against me. I may be weakened, but you are pitiful enough to be destroyed by a single blow. Try again in your next life."_

His tail lifted slightly, allowing sweet air to fill my crushed lungs.

I closed my eyes, the cold weight of fear filling me.

This was it. The end of the line.

I was going to die.

* * *

 _Dee_

* * *

I sighed to myself, flipping the page of an old book. It was undeniably helpful, but incredibly dry. I glanced briefly at the title at the top of the page. 'The Ways of the Seventh Son'. It was a philosophical treatise on the idea of a mortal becoming a god. Similar books littered the table before me, all written by former humans and containing useful hints on how to make the best of the change.

Across from where I sat, Loki flipped the page of his own book. The man had done good on his promise to teach me, and though his methods weren't as extreme as I had been expecting, he still did a fantastic job of teaching me how to hide myself from the other gods. I privately suspected that he had learned how to do that during some kind of illegal venture, but I kept my suspicions to myself.

Several months have passed since we moved to the mansion in the middle of nowhere, and no one has bothered us yet. I eventually managed to explain to Rin exactly why I should have a separate bedroom from them, and though she still didn't quite get it, she still split the top floor into two parts.

…Predictably, Kuroka proceeded to sneak into my room every night and try to sleep with me anyway.

Personal issues aside, I can honestly say that things have been going quite well. I've been making the occasional stop to a surrounding city to pick up new food, but when my Eyes tell me exactly who the serial killers or rapists are, it's easy to find the ones who need to be eaten.

Loki's evil half hasn't shown himself yet, but the god is certain that he's still being tracked. He taught me to see through almost every illusion he could cast, something that my Kangeki made incredibly easy once I figured out how to use them right.

All in all, life's been going pretty—

I paused, a screen forming unbidden before my eyes.

→ **The {FATAL FATE} that [Valiant] is about to meet has been suspended due to the Authority** _ **Fate Plunder**_ **.**

→ **Through the acquisition of a Divine Miracle in the defined time, it is possible to avoid the {FATAL FATE}.**

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. I really needed to learn not to tempt Fate. "Hey, Loki?"

"Hmm?"

"What's this?"

He glanced up. "What's what?"

"Something about the 'final fate'."

 _That_ got his attention. "You said you feed your power through that screen as a medium, right?" He demanded.

I nodded. "Yeah, my mental protections protect me from everything, even things I need."

"Then your screen is likely interpreting input from your Authority." He told me urgently. "Your priestess likely needs your intercession."

I sighed irritably, activating Time Pause and pulling him inside. It wouldn't do to mess up due to time constraints. "Well yes, I got that. But how do I do that? I've never done a miracle before. I've given a Blessing completely by accident, but I don't have the slightest clue how to work Miracles."

He hesitated, something uncharacteristic for him. "I… honestly don't know. It depends on the Pantheon, really. My Pantheon was never really good at Miracles, we're war gods at heart and most of the others look down on those who 'cheat' using their power. There's a chance yours doesn't allow for Miracles at all."

"Shit." I cursed, Instinct giving the mental equivalent of a shrug at the old god's words. "I… let's assume that's true. How could I do something about it?"

He hesitated once more, muttering something in Old Norse that my gift of tongues translated to something about eggbeaters. I blinked in confusion for a moment before deciding to ignore it. "I could try to grant you temporary access to my Miracles." He finally offered. "The Nordic System isn't too powerful, but it might work."

I paused, genuinely touched. "You would do that for me?"

"You're my apprentice, boy." He told me, smirking faintly. "Your actions reflect onto me, and if your priestess dies because I did nothing, it's as good as shooting my credibility in the foot.

'… _So it's because of pride. Heh. Typical Loki.'_ I chuckled to myself. "Well, whatever the reasons, thanks."

He scoffed. "Please. It's only temporary access, and this is a one-time deal. With any luck you'll have access to your own System next time." He rose, brushing himself off, and strode over to where I sat. He extended a hand, glowing softly with power. "Just don't abuse this privilege, young blood." He warned me in a grave tone of voice.

I nodded once, rising as well and taking his hand. The results were immediate.

 **{The System has been breached.}**

 **{The [Akashic System] granted by the Author is incompatible with the [God System] taught by Loki. Which would you like to keep?}  
[1. Akashic System]  
[2. God System]**

I glanced at the frozen god before me, feeling my mana slowly drain. _'Huh. Did the System trigger my Time Pause automatically? Damn, this thing is getting smarter and smarter every day.'_

I turned back to the screen, hesitating for a moment before choosing. On one hand, taking the new System would likely overwrite the first. On the other, I should be able to replace most of the lost powers with Miracles.

But how powerful is each System comparatively?

 **[1. Akashic System—EX]  
[2. God System—B-]**

Oh. Wow. That's handy. But B minus? That's… really shitty, actually. Damn.

"Can't I try to merge them?" I asked no one in particular.

 **{Skill activated: [Where There's a Will, There's a Way].}**

 **{You are attempting to merge two Systems. Failure to succeed could result in:}  
[Shattered Core {Severe}]  
[Severed Magic {Severe}]  
[Mental Pollution {Severe}]  
[Distortion {Mild}~{Severe}]**

I sighed, glancing over the debuffs. Honestly, I wasn't all that worried about it. None of them seemed to actually affect my Eyes, so I could just go back and try again if it failed. I pressed the mental 'accept' button, and the screen dissolved.

I crumpled on the spot, feeling my ever-present mental Curse shatter like sugar glass. _'SSSHIITT.'_ I hissed mentally, feeling like boiling lead had been poured into my brain. I reached for my stats, trying to see what the debuff was.

 _Name: Dee  
Title: Genius Within Madness  
Race: Wendigo (*)  
Level: $#%$#_

 _Status:  
-Mad Perspective  
-Mad Wisdom_

I gritted my teeth, trying to remember what the two buffs did. Something about boosting the chances of success when conducting insane experiments?

 **{Prime conditions have been created. Chance of failure: 72%}  
{Effects of title have lowered chance of failure to: 27%}**

 **{Would you like to proceed?}  
[Yes]  
[No]**

I stared at the screen for a moment, before sighing deeply. "Well, this is going to suck." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "All right. Let's do this."

 **{Proceeding with System merge…}**

 **{Loading available textures…}**

 **{Consulting greater directory…}**

 **{Connecting to directory [A Dream Unfulfilled].}**

 **{Connection made. Assimilating knowledge.}**

 **{ERROR. KNOWLEDGE INCOMPLETE. MISSING VITAL COMPONENTS.}**

 **{Attempting to reconstruct missing concepts…}**

 **{Operation failed. Initiating backup procedures. Searching for secondary directory…}**

 **{Directories found.}**

 **{Searching for equivalent skill…}**

 **{Connection required!}**

 **{Would you like to route connection through a server?}  
{Servers found: 2}  
[** **Dreams of the Fallen: The Protection of the Lost]** **  
[Requiem for a Dream: An Eternal Dream, Never Fulfilled.]**

I frowned. "Servers? The hell? I know I ate a bunch of programming books so the System could communicate more, but now I don't know what the fuck it's even asking." I eyed the two names, uncertain which to pick. "I mean… I think the first one was the red-haired boy's title. Does that mean this is how he slipped through?"

The System was unhelpful for once, simply displaying the same screen the whole time.

Eventually I chose the first option, just because I knew more about it than the second. The screen dissolved, and the next screen's text was in an entirely different font.

 _{Connection made!}_

 _{Dialing administrator to request access…}_

A presence pressed against my mind, and I hesitantly allowed it through. The world around me dimmed slightly, and a cacophony of whispers began to fill the air around me.

.

 _W̧͆ͧ͊ͯ͂̂ͮh̷̪̓ͨ̎ͩ̋̔́y̲̚ ̀ͧ͂̍̉̓̔͏͍͇ḥ̰̆̇͆ȁ̡̰̭̯̲ͬ̊͑̚v͍̰͙̺̍ͦ̈̋̐́̉e̵͙̦̣̳͈̻ͬ ̜̩̩͂ẏ̴ͤ̌̆ͣ̈ő͖̗͎͎̯̱̘ͮͯ͠u̱̮͇̻͛ͭͫ ̪̩̩̥̳̜͌̓ͤ̍̓̈͟ċ̢̥̖̓ͥ͐ͫͦͥà̢̼̀ͤ̾́l̤̂̔́͂͋̆̀l̠̝̈́ͮ̈́e͔̼̰̓̅ͭͅd̰̣͍̱̠͛̉ͥ͐̎̆ͧͅ ̬u̼͚̮̱p̳̹͍̣̜͕̥̉ͩ̔̽͆̚͝o̦̫̭n̵̻͓̣̣ ̩͍̯͔̻̩̔͌̒t͈̳̗̬͇ͅh͕̳̪͉̔̓ͪ͂e̷͓̺͇̳͙̍ͅs͙̗̘̖̃̔̈́͋̃ͅè̸̺͕ ͉̭̜͈̠̂ͮḎ̹͔̖̦̙̞̑̃ͣͧ̊͛r͋ͮͤ͑͂̓͞ě̌ͥͪ͡a̸̪̭̪̲̩ͪͫ̋̈͆ms͈̦̜̹̯̩ͣ́ ͚̤̠̆͒̃͢oͮ̾̅̆f̙̟̣̠̩ͦ͂ͬͯ̃̌͛ ̞̽̆̌̈́tͪ҉̹̬h̜ͨ̉̎ͣͮȩ̹̮̞̿ ̘̞̙̹͙̗͎ͧ͒̑͂̾F͚̼̞̂ͯ̃̿͌͋̍ã̱͚͉̙̪ͨ͟l̫̱͚͉̖̖ͧ͊͋͛́l̋̾̆ͤe̤̪̺̪̞̰̿ͤͦn̗͍̣̓?̵̺͆̏ͦ̆͌̽ͭ_

 _._

I blinked as they spoke, my mind struggling to comprehend the words.

 **[Skill required: Distortion {Mild}]  
[Synthesize?]  
[Y/N]**

I felt my head clear slightly as I accepted, and the next box popped up.

 **[Duration of [Distortion {Fake}]: 5m 23s]**

I cleared my throat. "Um… sorry. I'm trying to learn how to perform Miracles. You wouldn't happen to know how those work, would you?"

 _For what reason do you ask?_

The voices whispered in unison. Not judging, not demanding, merely lightly curious.

I coughed. "My priestess is in danger, see…"

 _And so you wish to save her?_

"Yes."

 _Is this your_ _ **Dream**_ _?_

"…I guess so, yeah. I want to be able to keep those I love safe."

It was silent for a moment, seeming to consider my words.

 _Very well. We are here to grant unattainable_ _ **Dreams**_ _, and for this reason we shall aid you. Listen well, for few living beings have this knowledge._

 _The Miracles of this world are five in number._

 _The_ _ **First**_ _, which governs the forces of absolute creation and destruction, is what began the universe._

 _The_ _ **Second**_ _acknowledged the possibility of free will, and the alternate worlds that would stem from those possibilities._

 _The_ _ **Third**_ _governs the soul. It gave 'life' to the universe, and allows for the creation of new souls._

 _The_ _ **Fourth**_ _realized the element of chance in every action._

 _The_ _ **Fifth**_ _began the march of time, and then the world began._

I blinked. "Er… I understood maybe half of that."

 _Worry not. If you understood the_ _ **WAY**_ _, there would be no need for our aid. Now. What do you wish of us?_

' _It was definitely amused that time.'_ I shrugged in response, trying to recall the exact words. "My System said I needed authorization from the administrator before I could patch through your server. Do you understand any of that?"

 _We do. Is this what you wish?_

"Yes. Yes it is."

 _Then fare thee well, young Divine Spirit. May your_ _ **Dream**_ _be fulfilled. Come again anytime._

… _Oh. And WELCOME TO THE BLACK PARADE._

The presence departed, the world around me returning to normal.

 **{Connection made!}**

 **{System accessing greater knowledge base [The Root of Akasha].}**

 **{Knowledge accessed!}**

 **{Forming parallels between Systems…}**

 **{The System has been upgraded!}**

 **{Launching the Akashic System…}**

 **{Launch complete.}**

 **{Saving progress…}**

 **{Aborting incomplete procedures…}**

 **{Exiting Command Prompt.}**

The world around me returned to normal, Loki's voice working once more. "—n't be a problem, though."

I snorted. "Buddy, I'm already done."

He blinked, taking it in stride. "Oh. Well. Okay then. Care to tell me what your screen says?"

I glanced down at the waiting screens.

 **{Skills learned!}  
-[Connection to the Root]  
-[Server Connection]  
-[Power of Belief]**

 **{Race changed!}  
{Racial skill gained!}  
-[Marble Phantasm]**

I shrugged. "I… really don't know what I'm looking at here."

Loki leaned forward excitedly. "Well? Did the procedure work?"

I pulled up my stats to check. I blinked at the mess of screens that greeted me. No longer was the text light and spidery, now it was all hard lines and willowy curves.

 **{Upgrade complete!}**

 **{Analyzing components…}**

 **{For completing the merge of two incompatible Systems, you have gained the following statuses.}  
[Severed Magic {Severe} (Negated by Race)]  
[Mental Pollution {Severe} (Negated by Wendigo's Curse)]**

 _Name: Dee  
Title: What Doesn't Kill You Hurts Like Hell  
Race: Divine Spirit  
Level: __467_

 _Status:  
-Curse of the Wendigo (PERMENANT) (Negates all mental inhibitions and influences, both positive and negative)  
-Wendigo's Freezing Chill (PERMANANT)_

/ _Stats_ / **/** _ **Talent Values**_ **/** / _Miracle System_ /

I stared at the odd 'tabs' for a moment. _'Well that's certainly different.'_ I clicked on 'Miracle System' curiously, immediately being taken to a different screen.

/ _You have successfully unlocked the Miracle System!_ /

The _what_?

/ _Miracle Points: 50_ /

/ _Prayer Log_ \+ -/

/ _Sacrifice Log_ \+ -/

/ _Current Miracles:_ / _-N/A_ /

 **{Welcome to the Miracle System, the System that taps into the Root of Akasha on your behalf! Would you like to create a Miracle?}  
{Y/N}**

I clicked 'yes' without hesitation.

 **{Searching…}**

 **{Recipient found!}**

 **{[Valiant] is in need of a Miracle!}**

 **{Possible Miracles:}  
[1. Grant access to full Priestess abilities for (1m) (1d) (1w) (1mo) (Permanent) for (1p) (5p) (10p) (25p) (50p)]  
[2. Grant absolute protection for (1d) for (30p)]  
[3. Grant use of one random skill for (10p)]  
[4. Grant inspiration for a new technique for (1p)]**

I sighed, finally finishing the lengthy text. "Loki, how much power would a 'Miracle Point' have?"

He shrugged. "Try causing a very small Miracle." He spread his arms. "Turn my clothes blue."

I focused on the random idea, trying to make the suit turn green by sheer force of will.

 **{Would you like to grant the Miracle 'Color Change' for (1m) for (1p)?}**

"Well, that helps at least." I decided, glancing back over the list of possible Miracles. "It seems that it doesn't show me the options I don't have the points for. Do you know what granting 'full Priestess abilities' would do?"

He nodded. "Most Priestesses grow into their power. They start out with a, say, direct line to you, and start from there. If they were to take the full brunt of your Divine power all at once, it would likely vaporize them. I would assume that this would be temporary?"

I glanced over the list once more. "…Not necessarily." I said vaguely. "It could be permanent."

He blinked. "That would make her incredibly powerful right off the bat. She would be able to make use of some of your more powerful abilities at a reduced level, with almost no cost at all."

"I see."

I weighed my options once more, deciding against playing roulette with the two random options. And whatever 'Absolute protection' was, I wasn't sure that it would actually help all that much. It might work for a day, but then what? I clicked the first option, deciding that if I was going to do it I was going to go big.

 **{Miracle granted!}**

I sighed, feeling my mana beginning to run low from sustaining Time Pause for so long. "All right." I muttered, dropping the ability and flopping back into my seat. "That should do it."

Loki smiled, walking back to his own seat. "Wonderful. You should be able to relax, now."

"I doubt it." I deadpanned. "I really do."

* * *

 _Valiant_

* * *

 **A** bright light shone, scorching my retinas even through my eyelids. I cringed, knowing this was probably my death.

But no new pain arrived. Quite the opposite, really. My ribs weren't hurting anymore, and my breath came in even intervals rather than pained gasps.

"… _What?"_ The Dragon's incredulous tone marked the end of the light, his voice sounding oddly… baffled. Like he had seen the last thing he would ever expect.

I cracked open an eye, noting the absence of any more brightness. I easily slipped out from the white Dragon's tail, turning to follow his blue-eyed gaze.

The statue of Dee was no longer stone. No, it was pure _diamond_ , gleaming in a light from within. The eyes of the statue gleamed a brilliant gold, shining like fallen stars and bathing the dark land with its' rays. Its' hands were no longer empty, no, it held a weapon out as if offering it to anyone who might take it.

I blinked. The Dragon blinked. We turned to each other.

"So…" I began. "It looks like my god—"

" _Don't. Just… don't."_ He growled back. _"You do not want to be that guy right now."_

"…Do you mind if I get that?"

He grinned cruelly. _"I do, actually."_

"Oh." I took a step back. "Well. Can I at least get a head start?"

" _No."_ And with that, he lashed out at me with a wickedly sharp claw.

I turned and bolted, pouring power into my legs as I—

 _Pain._

I stumbled back, rubbing my face. My nose made a disturbing crunching noise as I felt it snap back into place and the pain lessened. I idly noted that I had just smashed headfirst into the statue for some reason.

The Dragon paused in visible shock, now halfway across the battlefield from me. _"How? That should've killed you!"_

I shook off my daze, not questioning the sudden burst of speed. Instead I reached up, carefully lifting the statue's prize. The item was exquisite, a clockwork staff that was made of pure gold. It chirred and clicked, infinitesimally small gears ticking in complex patterns. I rested the pointed tip on the ground, and hand curled around the shaft by my side. Ridged grooves perfectly fit my grip, and lines of power gleamed beneath metal plates.

And with that, something _clicked_.

Knowledge filled my head, power I had never before used yet knew so intimately that I might as well have used it all my life. Before my wide eyes, the world itself was laid bare. It wasn't really _seeing_ , per se, it was more like I was just observing everything at a higher level, perceiving the natural flaws in the world with a precision I never before had. The lines had no particular structure, instead looking like multicolored zigzagging scribbles all over the world, even within the air itself. They looked almost like cracks, cracks in the fragile reality before me. Even the Dragon had them, moving and shifting as his form did.

"Oh." I murmured, blinking once. "Is this how Dee sees the world?"

Because that's all these lines could possibly be. Fate, given form. I could see it now, how striking one of the black lines would shatter the rock while hitting the pink one would send it the furthest possible distance. The lines twisted and wove, incomprehensible and ever-changing. A weave of Fate, giving the world form.

As I watched, glowing numbers began to form above the places where the lines intersected. They were, I somehow knew, the representation of the real world upon itself. The air was shifting in a now-visible breeze, and the rock was being pushed by precisely sixteen point seven four five units of pressure.

" _ **Divide!**_ _"_ The Dragon's voice boomed, returning me to reality.

Instantly, the world seemed… less. The Lines faded, some vanishing entirely as they lost their light. I cursed, forcing myself back to reality.

Because that tends to happen when a Dragon is hell-bent on killing you.

" _ **Divide! Divi—**_ _"_

 _Stop._

I blinked. All the Lines had frozen, held in place by a wave of golden power. I realized with a start that the world itself had stopped, with only the ticking of the staff remaining active. But it didn't come cheap. My strength was rapidly draining, a single second almost bringing me to my knees. I released the mental catch that led to that particular ability, gasping and choking.

"— _ **de!**_ _"_

Oh. Right. Him.

I forced myself to move, my feet steadying me. I tensed, shifting my stance so the pointed end of the staff was handy. Then I charged, shouting a battle cry.

" _ **Divi**_ _-AAAGH!"_ He roared, my golden staff suddenly sprouting from a black line in his scales. The scale had shattered like fine china, black blood spurting from the impossible wound.

I flinched back in shock, skidding almost half a mile as my impossible speed kicked in. The Dragon continued to rage, even as its' scale fixed itself and the blood disappeared.

" _You fool!"_ He raged, eyes burning. _"We cannot die here! One of us must devour the other if we wish to become the owner of this soul!"_

My eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?" I called suspiciously.

" _You try to become a Shade knowing only this much?"_ He asked incredulously. _"You are either the dumbest mortal alive, or the most suicidal."_

"The ritual wasn't done by choice." I explained, shifting my grip. The Lines were almost invisible, but I could get a few more hits in before I lost track.

" _Hmph. You think I care?"_

"I'll tell you what." I tried. "I'll answer your question if you answer mine."

"… _Very well."_ He growled. _"A Shade happens when a foolish spellcaster tries to draw power from lingering Spirits and fails to hold them back. The soul of a being is composed of one Soul, and one Spirit. A Shade is a being that bends that rule slightly. The many evil Spirits of men descend upon the Soul of the spellcaster, absorbing his Spirit and taking over his form."_

"…Okay, then." I muttered, making a mental note to look up some of those terms later. "So the reason we have to fight is… because you want my Soul?"

"… _Yes."_ He blinked. _"God, I sound like a Devil."_

"Yeah, you kind of do."

"… _Whatever. My turn. Tell me, where did you get that power?"_

I glanced at the staff in my hands. "Oh, this?" I tensed slightly, disguising my stance with my words. "I got it from Dominion, the God of Fate."

And with that, I charged.

* * *

" _Well?"_ The Dragon boomed, casually batting aside my most recent attack. _"Weren't you going to do something?"_ His gaze narrowed. _"COME ON!"_ He bellowed in rage, lashing out and slicing a deep gouge in my stomach. _"FIGHT! This is my first real battle in_ centuries _, and you can only dance around like some demented bird! GIVE ME BLOOD! GIVE ME GORE! ENTERTAIN ME, LITTLE DEVIL!"_ His last word was punctuated with a backhand, sending me skidding back into a defensive crouch.

' _I can't beat him.'_ I thought, a tad desperately. _'I don't have the power. I can only hurt him, and he heals back right afterwards. I could use that time freeze trick again, but I don't have the mana to sustain it. He's toying with me, and we both know it.'_

The Dragon must've heard the thought, because he smiled cruelly. _"Yes. I am. Because for a moment there, for a brief instant, I actually thought you were a_ threat _."_

"So why are you wanting a fight, then?" I growled helplessly. "You know I can never touch you if you actually try. You've just been beating me around for the past hour!"

" _Simple really."_ He purred. _"To prove a point. To prove to you that all you are, all you've ever been, is a little morsel for me to enjoy at my leisure. Your grandfather was just the fool who decided to sacrifice you to me. You were the one who thought herself my equal."_ He paused, tilting his head mockingly. _"Ah, wait, sacrifice is something you should understand well, being the Priestess of a godling and all. What did you cut off to get that? Did you sell your soul? Someone else's? Half your remaining lifespan? Gods don't sell power cheap, and I'll admit, I'm curious."_

I tuned out his implications, something about his words ringing a bell in my mind. _Sacrifice_. I needed to sacrifice something in exchange for power. A soul, Dragon said, would have to be the cost.

A soul… or perhaps, a Spirit.

"I don't know." I began, beginning to gather my strength. "Sometimes gods accept promises."

The Dragon blinked. _"Oh? So you promised your grandfather's soul then, or your own once you win."_

"Not my grandfather's." I stated calmly. "Not mine." I pulled the mental muscle that led to the time stop, slipping out of his scaly grip and leaping into the air. The power left me as I landed on his face, raising the pointed end of the staff. "YOURS!"

And with that, I swung the golden staff into the surprised Dragon's eye.

There was a sudden _jerk_ —the world seeming to _pause_ for a moment—before the Lines across the Dragon's form began to shine brighter and brighter. He tried to open his mouth to speak, raising a ridged claw to shred my stationary form… but it crumbled. White scales turned grey, the life draining from him and slowly turning the mighty Dragon into nothing more than a pile of dust.

As the dust began to flow towards the statue, I saw the dark dungeon around me slowly begin to crack, bits of light shining through. I closed my eyes, feeling my consciousness begin to slip.

Slowly, the battlefield crumbled away, and everything faded to black.

* * *

 _Dee_

* * *

 **{Priestess [Valliant] has made a Sacrifice!}  
[1 soul]**

I blinked. _'The hell do I do with a soul?'_

 **{Options:}  
[Convert to 30000 Miracle Points]  
[Purify]  
[Return to Priestess as Favor]**

I choked. "Holy _shit_. What kind of soul is worth thirty thousand Miracle Points?"

Loki blinked. "Pardon?"

"Vali just Sacrificed something." I told him absently. I hesitated for only a moment before deciding on the second option.

 **{Options:}  
[Plunder]  
[Return to Priestess as Favor]**

I chose the second once more. Whatever she had just killed, she needed the stat boost more than I did.

 **{Favor granted!}**

 **{Priestess [Valiant]:}  
{Favor: 30000}  
{Devotion: MAX}  
{Loyalty: MAX}**

I breathed a sigh of relief, dismissing the screen. "It seems that the incident is resolved."

The god nodded, picking back up his book. "Excellent." He gave me a stern look. "Now. Tell me. Have you finished your reading?"

I turned my attention back to the thick stack of books beside me, and the rush of satisfaction I felt promptly turned to dread. "…Fuck."

I seriously considered strangling Loki as he began to laugh.

* * *

 _Valiant Albion_

* * *

 **I** opened my eyes, blinking up at my grandfather's excited face.

"Red eyes…" The man whispered. "I've done it! I've brought back the Heavenly Dragon!"

I casually sat up, the chains on my arms snapping like thin reeds. I wound back, swinging my hand in the same way I had within the other world. Flesh rent, blood spurted, and the man stumbled back in shock. "Not quite." I growled, slipping off the table.

"V-Valiant?" Rizevim whispered in shock, clutching the bloody stump of his arm. "How? How could the likes of _you_ hope to match Albion himself?"

"I had a little help from my 'imaginary friend'." I mimicked Albion's cruel smile, finding it incredibly easy. He was a part of me now, just as all the other tortured Spirits within my form. "You know, the God of Fate?"

"Impossible." He dismissed, taking a step back. "I would've felt the birth of a new god, let alone one of Fate."

"Well, then." I reached out, grasping my golden staff. It fitted perfectly into my grip as I lashed out, slicing a deep gash across his chest. "Explain _this_."

He didn't even flinch at the new wound, finally seeming to return to reality. "Well, it doesn't matter how you managed it. This experiment is a failure." His remaining hand snapped its' fingers, and a glowing blue magic circle surrounded me. "I anticipated some manner of resistance… but to have to use lethal protocol…" He sighed, shaking his head. "It's a shame. You were such a lovely test subject, too. You developed flawless immunity to Angel blood in under a week, and I designed you to have the perfect form for combat. Such a waste of resources."

"Designed?" I asked carefully.

"Yes, of course." He smirked. "I haven't been sitting idly these past weeks, you know. The Angel blood that made you so sick was only the beginning. A certain… _benefactor_ … of mine was able to supply me with a wide variety of substances by which I sculpted the perfect form befitting a returning Dragon. I hoped to assuage his wrath at a female form with the knowledge of its' peerless beauty, but… well, I'm afraid all my efforts will go to waste. This spell might take a moment to charge, but it's guaranteed to kill even a Heavenly Dragon."

A faint bit of knowledge surfaced, a faded remnant of Albion's bleached soul. "Oh?" I smiled, sharp teeth pressing against my lips. "Don't you know, grandfather? I'm sure you've heard."

He examined me for a moment. "…No." He eventually said. "I haven't _heard_. And I never will, now that the spell is ready. _Skauthr._ "

Even as the magic circle below me began to shine, I started to laugh. "But grandfather!" I shouted in amusement. "A Shade can't be killed by magic!"

And with that, my skin turned translucent. Black lines and misty trails of blood-like power were shown to the world, my mortal form no more. An explosion of my unspent mana rocked the basement, shattering everything around me and throwing Rizevim back. The Spirits under my control rushed eagerly away, tearing me into countless pieces and rushing out in all directions. Some followed the path of least resistance and exited the basement by the dim stairwell, while others flew up, up, out through the stone ceiling and into the free air.

I felt myself swirl into a lazy spiral, Spirits travelling with ease as I began gathering them back together. I ignored the pain, beginning the long process of forcing the thousands of parts to slowly piece 'me' back into one whole.

This… would take a while.

* * *

 _Dee_

* * *

" **I** 'm getting tired of going zero to sixty to zero." I grumbled, flipping a page.

Kuroka sighed, glancing up from her own book. "I take it Loki sprung another surprise attack on you just to stop at the last second?"

I frowned. "No. Well, he does do that with alarming regularity, but this is something similar."

"I'm starting to think he enjoys taking the rug out from under you." She teased lightly.

I shrugged. "That might well be the case. He is the God of Mischief, after all."

"I see." Her laughter faded, and she leaned against me with a small smile. "I'm glad you're getting more comfortable with your powers. I'll be honest, I didn't really trust Loki at first, but he seems to be doing all right with you."

I shrugged. "I still have my respawn point set to… well… that night. If he stabs me in the back, I'll just return and start again." The flutter of annoying déjà vu returned, but I ignored it. It was probably just my imagination.

Kuroka scowled at me. "I wish you'd stop thinking like that. I don't like you thinking of dying as acceptable. What if your ability just stops working one day?"

"Then I'll know." I replied simply. "I've been putting more and more effort into refining God's Eyes, and even if they failed, Instinct would still warn me."

She sighed, changing the subject. "Didn't you say you got some new skills from learning to use Miracles?"

I nodded, internally wincing. I had… carefully avoided… mentioning exactly _why_ I had learned to use Miracles.

(I most definitely did not see the word 'yandere' in Kuroka's status. Nope. That never happened.)

"Yes. Several, actually." I scratched my chin absently. Kuroka's ears were tickling me. "I asked Loki about them, but he only knew what a few were. 'Server Connect' is likely a way to return to the midpoint between us and the Root, whatever that is."

"Why would you want to do that?"

I shrugged. "Well, do you remember what I told you about the Pantheon thing?"

She nodded hesitantly, ears brushing my jawline. "Yeah, I think so. Something about how every religion has a source called a 'System', and that sometimes multiple gods can draw from the same System."

"Exactly." I confirmed. "Well, Loki thinks that my Eyes automatically followed the path of power into my System. What it interpreted as 'servers' might've been other gods' Domains. See, Gods of Fate have traditionally been allowed into different realms due to their peaceful nature…"

"…And you think you might've reached one by accident." She finished for me.

I nodded mutely. "It's my best theory. I don't know which one I reached, but I think it's something close to the God of Dreams. Rin hinted at the Author being something like that, and if our Pantheon is following the central idea of dreams…" I shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm fairly sure that the other 'server' is likely the God of Nightmares. I couldn't be sure, though. Loki says that every Pantheon is different, and ours might be completely unrelated to dreams."

"Hm." The catgirl yawned, snuggling into my chest. It's at times like this that I almost forget her… possessive… tendencies. "And what about the other skills?"

I smiled down at her, raising a hand and beginning to stroke her silky black hair. Her ears were soft beneath my hands, and she soon began to purr. "The others were 'Power of Belief' and 'Marble Phantasm'. Loki thinks that they both have some sort of relation to my Miracles, since they came directly after I learned to use them."

"Was that it, then?" She asked absently, leaning into my hand.

I frowned. "Well, there was one other one that Loki couldn't explain. It was… 'Connection to the Root', I think, and he thinks it's something unique to my Pantheon. I couldn't grant Miracles until I connected to the Root, so it might be the source of our power or something."

"The source of your power?" She asked in surprise, her purring stopping abruptly. "What could it be?"

I shrugged. "I really don't know. The Author never explained, and Rin refuses to tell me when I ask. My Sight goes blank whenever I try to See it, and I can't seem to reach it by any other methods. I'm planning on activating the skill later under controlled circumstances, just to be sure it's nothing too dangerous."

"Why later?"

I frowned at her. "Because you seem to be enjoying using me as a pillow."

She froze. "Um… sorry?"

I shook my head. "It's fine. I'm used to it. I have all the time in the world right now, so do what you want."

She relaxed, settling back down. "So… if you have free time right now, then why not try it now?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want me to? It might have some dangerous side-effects."

She waved me off. "Please. If I protect myself with Senjutsu, none of your God-based abilities can touch me. Plus Loki taught you all those barriers that you could use, if you're really that paranoid."

I considered for a moment more, then sighed. "…All right. I guess it would be best if I had someone to watch in case something goes wrong."

"Good!" The Nekoshou straightened, seeming almost smug. "Get to it, then."

I settled carefully on the ground some ways away and cast multiple shield spells around me, just in case it had some sort of backlash during activation. I glanced at Kuroka, who was prepared to hit me with a spear of Hellfire if anything went wrong. "Ready?"

She nodded once.

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. " **Connection to the Root.** "

In the next instant, the world _changed_. Suddenly my own eyes weren't enough to fully see, and my own form wasn't enough to truly _experience_ the world around me. I wasn't sitting still anymore, I was flying, being tugged along by some force. I quickly stopped being in a single place, and suddenly the force pulled me in every direction at once.

The things that it showed me were not something a human mind was made to understand. It was just too vast, alien, strange, _unnatural_ , yet it was _more_ than natural. It was how the World viewed everything. Good or evil, right or wrong, live or dead, ancient or new, it was all equal to the Root. It was like… looking through a kaleidoscope. Every time it showed something, it was new and different, every vision different in perspective and size. Not the best or most accurate analogy, but you get the idea. Even now I can't fully make heads or tails out of it.

What I knew was that I saw and knew _everything_. I knew how many people there were, how many animals, how many insects, ants, spiders and other critters crawled on and under the surface of the earth. I saw the cavers, the creeks, number of gems, metals, and minerals in the soil. The planets, the stars, asteroids, meteors and space itself, it gave me information about them. I was even able to see the core of the sun and stars themselves, see what the gas giants looked like inside, feel the comets as they blazed past solar systems in a second and even feel the tiniest dust particles and feel the void between the systems themselves.

My lungs were solar winds. My eyes were the stars themselves. My skin was the vastness of space, my breath the heat of galaxies. I dared not speak, for fear of destroying the careful balance I saw. I dared not think, for fear of causing some cosmic disaster. The things I saw, the worlds I experienced, they never should've been seen by the likes of me. They never should've been heard by mortal ears, seen by mortal eyes. And yet, somehow, they _were_.

There was just too much. So much that, even if it was recorded into my **[Infinite Archive]** and broken down into understandable chunks by **[Unforbidden Concepts]** , the sheer amount of information was just too much for my brain to handle. The Root didn't just _start_ everything, it _was_ everything. The beginning, the middle, and the end. Past, present, and future.

It was for only a moment that I glimpsed that terrible sight, yet it scorched my very soul. My mind, once as human as I could make it, warped and twisted under the sheer _information_ the Root provided. For that brief instant, I knew everything. I _was_ everything. I breathed air from billions of lungs, all the while _being_ the air in my lungs. Time was meaningless, space only a concept a fool designed. I was everywhere, in everything, yet absolutely nowhere at the same time.

In that instant, I truly feared for the first time.

Blinded by pain, screaming in agony, my soul tore itself _away_ from the beautiful monstrosity of _everything_. I pulled away, leaving behind the damaged part of myself, a warped mockery of what I had entered with. I inhaled, sweet air filling my lungs and clearing my mind.

Then I opened my stinging eyes, seeing only what was before me as if for the first time. It was… less. The colors less crisp, the lines blurred. The limited vision of a mortal. But I didn't care. If _that_ was omnipotence, then I would stay ignorant for the rest of time.

' _ **King, I don't know what you did, but whoever this new guy is, he's creeping me the fuck out.'**_

' _New guy?'_ I asked tiredly, blinking as I vaguely recognized Kuroka's concerned face.

' _ **Yeah, the blank-looking guy who's staring off into space. I swear his eyes are staring into my soul, though. It's really creepy.'**_

"I think I just accidentally created a new Aspect." I told Kuroka with a wry smile. "And he's apparently creeping out my other Aspect."

"Are you all right?" She asked, worry clear on her face.

I hesitated. "I… don't know." I shook my head. "No, more like I don't remember. I _refuse_ to remember. That's probably what formed the new Aspect. I can't…" I hesitated, trying to explain. "Loki once quoted his father when he was trying to explain why so few gods had omnipotence. He said that 'You can either know the nature of the universe or influence it. To know everything is to lose the will to change.' Honestly I wouldn't have touched the Root if I had known… _that_ … would happen."

Kuroka frowned. "Um… Dee? Are you okay? You seem a bit…"

"I'm fine." I mumbled, stumbling to my feet. "I'll be fine."

 **{System restart in progress…}**

I exhaled in relief. Slowly the comforting balm of the Wendigo's Curse settled around my mind, my fears and worries blowing away like smoke in a cool breeze. I was fine. Now that I knew what I was doing, I could make sure I never made that mistake again. This was a learning experience, to be sure, but nothing too bad. I survived with life and limb intact, so I could take my time and reconstruct what had been broken. I would survive.

 **{System restart complete.}**

 **{Wendigo's Curse has reactivated.}**

 **{Wendigo's Curse had negated status effect 'Distortion (Severe)'.}**

 **{Wendigo's Curse has negated status effect 'Shellshock (Severe)'}**

 **{Wendigo's Curse has negated status effect 'Mental Burnout (Severe)'}**

 **{Skill 'Connection to the Root' has been permanently locked.}**

 **{Skill 'Power of Belief' has been permanently locked.}**

 **{Skill—}**

I closed my eyes, ignoring the scrolling notifications. _'Instinct? You alive in there?'_

' _ **Uh, yeah? What the hell just happened? I was minding my own business and trying to sort out some old memories when this**_ **thing** _ **happened. Then I wake up with this glowing golden dude in front of me with eyes like mini solar systems and start feeling creeped out because he HAS NOT BLINKED. EVER.'**_

I winced. _'Sorry about that. I tested out a new skill and didn't know what would happen. Do you think that new guy can hear us?'_

' _ **He never responds when I try to talk to him, so I don't know.'**_ The Aspect reported irritably. _**'Do you mind if I shove him in a corner somewhere? He's really creeping me out.'**_

' _Sure, whatever.'_ I shook my head, sighing. "I think I need a nap."

A distant ringing noise gave us pause, preventing the catgirl from commenting.

"Who could that be?" I muttered, confused.

Kuroka stood, rubbing her eyes and assuming a more serious expression. "Will we need to fight?"

I shook my head, rising as well. My Sight refused to work, my aching head unable to focus enough to See ahead. "Shouldn't need to. We're technically living on Chronos's territory, and I claimed his land rights when I killed him. We're legally sound and we don't need to pay any taxes. It's more likely that someone just got lost and needs directions."

She relaxed slightly, nodding sheepishly. "Yeah, that makes more sense. Sorry."

I shrugged. "Doesn't matter." The bell rang again, making me sigh. "Well, we'd better go check on it."

She followed as I slipped down the stairs. It wasn't long before we stood before the large front doors, the most recent ring still echoing through the atrium. I pulled open one of the doors, tensing in case the person on the other side was hostile. The sight of a familiar face, however, made me pause.

Snow-white hair, stretching to her waist. Pale skin, matched with her small stature to make her look like a small doll. Perfect features, sharp and defined save for the smooth cheekbones. Blood red eyes shyly looking up at me. Stark naked, but that didn't—

Wait. _Blood red_? That was different, at least. No matter.

I tilted my head. "Vali? What are you doing here?"

She perked up, eyes gleaming with excitement. "Dee!" She paused, taking a deep breath and schooling her features. "I-I am here to apply for the position of maid." She told me formally, flushing.

Kuroka continued to stare at the doll-like girl. "Dee? Who's this?"

I sighed. "Right. I never… Valiant, this is Kuroka. Kuroka, this is Valiant, my priestess."

 **(Priestess of Fate)  
[Valiant Albion]  
{Race: Shade}  
[Lv. 900]  
{Status: Charmed (Severe)}**

' _Holy shit.'_ I thought in shock. _'Nine hundred? Shade? What the hell happened?'_

' _ **She might've absorbed that soul from before.'**_ Instinct offered.

I nodded to myself, finishing my inspection. "So… what brings you here?"

She smiled. "I came to be your maid, like you asked me to!"

I felt Kuroka's gaze burn into the doll-like girl and I sighed. "All right. Do you have a uniform?"

She proudly held up a blood-soaked uniform. "Right here!"

I didn't react to the blood, instead mentally calculating how many wash cycles it would take to get it out. "I see. Well, I can't really pay you right now…"

"I don't care." She said forcefully. "I want to be your maid!"

Kuroka's glare intensified. Valiant seemed clueless, determinedly staring at me with red eyes. I had to choke down my laughter at the sight. "All right. Come on in."

She beamed, slipping through the doors. I led the two up flights of stairs and into the library, where Rin was usually found on break days. Kuroka's burning gaze was set firmly on the pearl-haired girl who was shyly following in my shadow. I sighed quietly, spotting the little Grimoire curled into a beanbag and sketching something on her glass pane. "Rin!"

She looked up, jumping slightly. "Master?"

"Rin, this is Valiant. She'll be a maid here from now on." I introduced.

The girl perked up, rushing over to throw her arms around Valiant. "Hi Vali, I'm Rin! I love drawing and eating Master's cooking!"

Kuroka's glare intensified at the sight of the cheerful reception Valiant was getting. I activated my Senjutsu, glancing at her and activating God's Eyes.

 **[Empathy Check: Pass {130/21}]**

 **Kuroka is currently angry at the home-wrecking whore.**

I winced. _'Ouch. Methinks those two need some time to talk things out.'_

"Hey, Rin, would you like to go start dinner with me?" I asked pointedly, stepping back.

The little girl beamed, bouncing over. "Sure! Let's go!"

I turned to Kuroka. "Would you mind teaching Vali the ropes, then?"

She smiled, a dark aura forming around her. "It would be my _pleasure_." She purred.

I nodded, leaning close. "Don't hurt her, okay? She's been through a lot." I murmured, careful to keep my voice low.

The Nekoshou nodded imperceptibly, still wearing her unsettling smile. I left with Rin still buzzing with excitement. As soon as the door to the library shut, however, she spoke. "That was smart."

I shrugged, beginning my walk to the kitchen. "I don't know what you're talking about. I just went with the flow without questioning too much."

The Grimoire rolled her eyes. "That was the kind of move Father would've made. You forbade her from harming Vali, which meant she had to have a 'talk' with her instead."

I eyed her. "You're more perceptive than you look, huh?"

"Yep!" She chirped. "How do you think Kuro-nee and I survived as long as we did?"

I chuckled, saying nothing as we reached the base of the steps. I headed over to the fridge, pulling out a few random items while looking through to see if there were any leftovers.

"I'm kinda surprised you left those two alone, though." She continued. "Normally you'd at least stay close to make sure Kuro-nee didn't snap."

"I have my reasons. Important ones." I told her seriously.

(I most definitely _did not_ see the word 'yandere' in Kuroka's status. No, I'm not in denial. _You're_ in denial.)

"Okay. I trust you." The Grimoire told me.

I smiled, finding my prize and pulling out a pizza crust. Rin spotted it and cheered, rushing over to the freezer to grab the cheese and pepperoni. "Yaaay! I get to make pizza!"

' _For all her intelligence, she really is just a little girl.'_ I thought fondly.

* * *

 _Valiant Albion_

* * *

 **A** s soon as Dee left the room, both of our expressions slipped. Kuroka's tail lashed, her expression more a sugar-sweet promise of murder than a smile. I didn't doubt that my own smile could scare small children, not that my apparently blood-red eyes helped much.

"So." The black-haired girl purred, tilting her head. "Let's _talk_."

I sighed, knowing where this was going. "You're his girlfriend, aren't you?"

She froze, a blush dying her cheeks a bright red. "F-fiancé, actually."

I paled. If the Spirits' memories had taught me anything, it was that the Underworld took engagements _very_ seriously. As in, 'I will rip you to shreds' seriously. "I don't want to be a wife." I blurted. "I'll be a mistress."

The cat-eared girl blinked, mouth falling open. I shifted in the uncomfortable silence for a moment or two, only to jump as she spoke. "…Really? Just like that?"

Albion's instincts rumbled jealously, but I stamped them down. "Dee wants you." I said firmly. "I'm just his maid. If he wants more, I'll be happy to give him more. But until then, I'll just be happy with what I have."

She stared at me for a moment, making me flush slightly from the intensity of her gaze. "W-what?" I mumbled, brushing my hair behind my ear self-consciously.

"Oh, nothing." She gave me a softer, gentler smile. "You just… reminded me of someone, that's all." She reached out, ruffling my hair. "If you're going to stay here… then feel free to call me Onee-sama or Kuro-nee. I'd prefer not to fight you if possible."

I shook my head seriously. "I would never. I just want to be his maid, that's all."

"Of course." She agreed. Then, after a moment, she spoke with an odd tone in her voice. "…Out of curiosity, how would you feel if some other hussy tried to take him?"

I blinked. "…What's a hussy?"

She gave me a pitying look. "It's a term for a demanding, self-centered, hateful bitch with no morals who only wants to use others for her own gain.

My chest _burned_ , and I felt my lips curl into a dangerous smile. The idea of having Dee led along by some self-serving monster like father did with mother… "I would tear her apart." I growled. " _Piece_ by fucking _piece_."

Her answering smile both made chills run down my spine and promised an incredible friendship. "Well… I have a few _tips_ if you'd care to hear them…"

I listened in wide-eyed fascination as the elder girl began instructing me on the most efficient way to use a safety pin. This definitely seemed like the kind of thing maids did for their masters.

…Right?

* * *

 _Dee_

* * *

 **B** y the time Rin finished the pizza and I had stuck it in the oven, Kuroka was leading a blushing Vali downstairs by the hand with a wide smile on her face.

I Scryed her, just to be sure.

 **(Priestess of Fate)  
[Valiant Albion]  
{Race: Shade}  
[Lv. 900]  
{Status: Yandere (Mild)}**

I paled. _'Oh God, they're multiplying.'_

"All right, she's all set!" Kuroka chirped brightly.

"Great." I muttered, gesturing vaguely towards the pizza. "Dinner's on, I guess."

A better man would've dealt with the issue. A smarter man _definitely_ would've. But I was still exhausted from my earlier foray into the vastness of the conceivable universe, so I let it be.

"So…" I began instead, tilting my head. "You're a Shade now."

Vali paused, lowering her piece pizza. "…Yes. Is that a problem?"

I gave her a once-over. "Well considering your hair isn't red and you don't look like a pile of rotting flesh, I can safely assume that you're still you. I just wanted to know what happened."

She considered for a moment. "…Let's just say that my grandfather is a jackass."

"Huh." I took a bite of my own piece, deciding not to press that particular issue. "You're lucky. Many Shades have been formed through the ages, but most Shades self-destruct shortly after creation. Shades that survive the volatile natures of their formation are rare."

She grimaced. "…I see. I think I can understand how they might blow up. The host form can only hold so much strain before bursting, after all."

I tilted my head. "…Out of curiosity, how many of you are there?"

Vali shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I only managed to win by killing off the main three and letting Albion level the place."

I blinked. "That doesn't sound good."

"It really wasn't." She shuddered slightly. "I… well, it was a complicated thing. Lots of blood and demon guts."

Rin raised a hand. "Question! Did you eat any of said demon guts? And if so, how did they taste?"

I choked. Kuroka facepalmed. Vali looked confused. "Um… I tasted a bit of their blood, I guess… and it tasted acrid. Why?"

"I'm doing a study!" The Grimoire chirped cheerily. "I'm making a guide to literally anything that's able to be eaten, for future generations of—"

"Rin." Kuroka hissed. "Please."

The Grimoire pouted. "Fiiine."

I finished my last bite, sighing and shaking my head. "Well… for better or worse… welcome to our crazy home." I reached out, ruffling the doll-like girl's hair.

Vali's eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed a light pink. But her smile was bright enough to light the room, red eyes shining with unshed tears.

"Thanks!"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Aaaand, that's it. It might not be the best, but it's what I have. Truth be told it's a pretty huge chapter for this fic, but I didn't want to give you guys a cliffhanger after such a long wait. I might post again soon, but I'm a bit busy catching up on some of the things I missed while I was on my work craze.**

 **Side note, did you know that Hellsing Abridged finally finished?**

 **I'm… not sure how I feel about that.**

 **Anyway. I hope you liked the chapter, and thanks for your time!**

* * *

 **REVIEWS:**

 **APotatoSlayer:**

 **Millicas is strong, yes, but he's still bound by time. Only a few select beings can escape the 'reboot', and I'd prefer to keep those cards close to my chest for now.**

 **ShadowKing042:**

… **Look. Buddy. If you don't like it, don't read it. It's not an orgy, and it's not even a harem yet. Give it time, and I'll show you where this is going. Judging an entire storyline by a few lines of text is hardly the way to go. Wait and see, or look elsewhere.**

 **Guest:**

 **Rin isn't bi, or a harem member. That will be a future plot point, but not for a while.**

 **Dominus1389:**

 **Thank you very much for your glowing review. After seeing a bunch of baseless ranting about my apparent lack of any redeeming qualities, your simple review meant a lot. So thanks, man.**

 **Hashirama 1710:**

 **Heh. I'm glad you liked it. I've always wanted to write a story from two perspectives at once, and I figured I might as well crank it up to eleven while I'm at it. As a certain AI once put it, "Everyone creates the thing they dread. Men of peace create engines of war… and invaders create Avengers."**

 **OmnipotentHeroPauk:**

 **Thank you for you concern, and I hope your kindness is repaid through an act of random anime karma. Let the foxgirls be with you.**

 **I believe Dee is ten at the same time Millicas is six, if that helps any. Rin is physically two years younger than Dee and Kuroka, due to Kuroka's desire for a little sister, so… um…**

 **Issei is one to two years older than Millicas, Millicas is age six, so Issei is seven or eight… Rin is eight… so I think Dee is ten while Issei is eight. I hope that helps some.**

 **As for the rest, you shall have to wait and see :).**

 **Guest 2:**

 ***Evil grin.* Issei with a harem of Grimoire girls? Psssh… that would just be ridiculous. Sairaorg should get at least one, right?**

 **T-B-R:**

 **Next chapter, man. Next chapter. The fox girl shall rise!**

 **RedBurningDragon:**

 **No civilians were harmed in the making of this chapter.**

… **I think.**

 **Dammit, I think she learned how to mind-wipe me. I'll get back to you on that.**

 **LuluViBritania:**

 **In the vision, Dee wasn't the one Rin was with. He was seeing the future of his precious people, not just his future waifus.**

 **Artemis-ArcherOfCrimson:**

 **Same universe. The idea here is that Dee and Millicas created one another through their desire to bend the world to their whims. The Balance will always prevail, even if it has to create a paradox to do it.**

 **prof. fukin' oak:**

 **First, 11/10 on the name. Kudos to you.**

 **Second, Rin's awakening sparked the conception of their own interfaces. They're not Grimoires quite yet, but if you'll recall, even Books are somewhat self-aware. If they're ever given a host and enough mana to grow, they will awaken, but for now they're just the half-formed thoughts of an inanimate object.**

 **Guest:**

 **Apparently having a protagonist that literally hunts down and eats other people qualifies as 'dull, spineless, and boring'. If this were Tokyo Ghoul I'd agree, but Dee actually had to work to get his shit together.**

 **And no, this is not a SI story. Neither is UtV. If I ever write a SI, I will make it known that it is a SI. End of story.**

 **Striderm8:**

 **Thanks, man. Really. I usually delete blatant flames like that guy's, but I'm glad someone else cares enough to defend my story from trolls. World-building is a delicate art, especially when you're only uploading one chapter at a time. You get plenty of people who judge the half-formed characters before they even get the chance to form, leading to that kind of rampant flaming.**

 **And no worries about the tone, really. You took the time out of your day to write the review, so I'm not going to judge how it sounds.**

 **Have a nice day!**

 **Guest (Smith guy):**

 **Why yes, yes it was. I'm glad you caught that, I figured it might've been too subtle.**

 **Friendo:  
** **_ _ _ _ _ _  
** **lI'm alive.|** **  
~~~||~~~**

… **I am terrible at making text signs, lol.**

 **But yeah, thanks for the concern. I'm a bit wiped, but otherwise all right. I hope you like the chapter!**


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